Been a While
by Lady Nichole
Summary: Tenten goes on a mission with her team but is heavily wounded. When she wakes up, something is definitely not right. Will take place during current manga arc, but will most likely be FutureAU since I highly doubt this will happen. R&R loves.
1. Attack

**Nichole's Note: This is my first story on FF! I really hope you like it! Read and review! It will get better, I promise... I'm just not the best at starting out a story. But I've got a really good idea, I swear! Yet again, hope you enjoy!**

It began like any other mission that my team would take.

We were called into Tsunade-sama's office, and told that we would be heading off to the Village Hidden in the Clouds very, very soon. She asked us to pack light, because speed was of the essence.

We were to deliver a scroll to the Kage of the village, which contained information on the whereabouts of a group of missing nin from their village that our trackers had spotted and were now following.

Gai-sensei was in another place doing something else for her, so it was just Lee, Neji, and I.

"Neji, I appoint you squad leader. This scroll is of the utmost importance, so I encourage you to let nothing happen to it. I want you to leave within the next hour."

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama," Neji said, speaking in his deep voice, "why didn't you just send this by messenger hawk?"

"The scroll is too important to be interfered with. There are ninja who are looking for this information. We feel we are being watched, and any bird sent out will ultimately die before reaching its intended target. If I send it out with a small squad, it will be less suspicious. You three are some of the fastest ninja in the village, and your skills are perfect for a mission like this. Understood?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." With that, Neji bowed, and Lee and I followed suit. We walked out of the office and out of the building.

"I want you two to meet me at the gate in thirty minutes. You heard what she said; pack light."

"Hyuuga-san!" A voice called out. We all turned to see a man standing in the door leading to the building. "Hokage-sama needs to see you again." We all turned to walk back up, but he shook his head. "She says just Hyuuga-san, Lee-san."

Lee and I froze, but for much different reasons. Lee stopped because the man told him to. I stopped because he seemed to forget to tell _me to stop._ Neji looked back at us, and murmured, "You too, Tenten. You know what he meant."

I just nodded, a grimace plastered on my face.

"I will walk you home, Tenten-chan," Lee said, a smile on his face. He had this weird sense of chivalry when it came to me. He wouldn't bring flowers, or open doors, but he'd always make sure I got home safely. I guess he just feels for me because we're in the same situation; alone.

We began our walk toward my lonely apartment, keeping the tone light and playful, despite the fact that I still felt like ripping someone's head off.

"I wonder why Tsunade-sama wants all of us to deliver a message. You think she would have just sent you or Neji instead of all three of us," I commented as we neared my apartment.

Lee grinned. "Or you. You forgot to mention yourself in that grouping, Tenten-chan. As for the reason… I think there is more to this document delivery than Tsunade-sama will say. I believe that is what she is telling Neji-san right now."

"For some reason," I muttered, "I don't think Tsuande-sama would ever send me on a mission that is truly important, Lee." I looked up at the sky, and then smiled at Lee before he could open his mouth. "Well, better be going and all. You know how it is. Gotta pack. Gotta be at the gate in twenty minutes."

Lee was still standing beside me, looking slightly confused. "Yes. Yes, I must be ready on time, or I will run 1,000 laps around Konoha before we leave!" He said, fist held aloft and fiery eyes streaming.

"I don't think Neji will like that too much. If you're late, any more hold-ups might cause him to massacre the village," I joked, winking.

"Do not even joke like that, Tenten-chan," Lee said, but I could tell he found it funny, as well. Neither of us could resist a good Neji joke anymore.

"See ya soon," I said, waving him goodbye as I made my way into my house, ready to get ready. Lee left, and suddenly, I felt very alone again.

Then again, for a 16 year old, I seemed to always feel lonely. It's not that I don't have good friends or a good sensei. But that's just it; I only have Neji, Lee, and Gai-sensei. Sure, I know the rest of the ninja my age, and I hang out with Hinata sometimes, but I'm only a sometimes friend.

'Oh, Kiba, Shino, Naruto, Sakura, and Ino are doing something… Might as well go find Tenten and see if she's available.'

Not to mention if it wasn't for the fact that I was on a team with Neji and Lee I would only get stupid missions, like make sure there are no people breaking into the medicine room of hospital, or go find this cat because the genin have more important things to do. Out of all the Konoha 12, as they call us, Tsunade-sama trusts me the least. Well, I guess she trusts Sasuke the least, but that's only because he left the village.

I'm sure that if he came back, he'd even get better missions by himself than I do.

A small sigh escaped my lips, and I opened up my bag, throwing another set of clothes, some food, and a scroll into it. This was no time to be thinking on why I'm a loner, or why my once Idol seems to think so little of me.

"2 minutes to get to the gate," I muttered, running out of my apartment and toward the gate. When I got there less than a minute later, Neji and Lee were already there, waiting. Damn it.

Neji was giving me the 'You're late' glare.

"Sorry I'm _on time_, Neji, I was just making sure everything was in order at my house."

"Hn."

I winced as his ice-cold 'Hn' ran through my mind.

I had once been told by another sometimes acquaintance, Reiyu, that any girl would LOVe to be on the same team as a hot, strong guy like Neji.

Yeah, being on his team is absolutely _the best._

We walked outside of the gate, ready to start another mission, when Neji turned to me, and took something out of his bag. It was a scroll.

A very important looking scroll.

"I think it would be best if you hold onto it, seeing as you are…" Neji paused, looking to me. I felt myself stiffen, like I knew where this was going. I did know where this was going. "Well, seeing as Lee and I are more likely to…" He paused again, his glance shifting over to Lee. "It's just that enemies aren't as likely to attack…"

Lee understood the silent command for help. "Seeing as you are better equipped to protect the scroll. We both know that you will never let anyone touch it."

I grabbed the scroll, and slipped it into my bag. "Yeah, whatever. Let's just get going."

Without waiting for my teammates, I shot off in the direction of the Village Hidden in the Clouds. My body was pumping, and I was sure that I could get there in a day and a half without stopping. A lot less if I ran at high speeds the entire time. After all, Tsuande wanted it delivered quickly, and I was more than ready to get this damn thing off my hands. My teams stamina could take a day and a half of hard running without quitting.

"Tenten!" I heard someone yell, far, far behind me.

"Tenten-chan, please slow down!"

"Tenten!"

But I didn't listen to them, and kept running. Pumping my legs faster, harder… Let all my anger, all my frustrations, let them go. Neji didn't know what he was talking about. Enemies were just as likely to attack me as they were to attack them! It was just as likely that the weakest member was holding the scroll! In fact, it was more likely!

I ran for the longest time, still angry, letting it all flow through me. I knew I was making good time; I knew that I was getting closer to the completion of the mission with every quick-paced step. The sky became darker, and I strained my eyes, but I could see the beginning of the mountains that the village was hidden in.

"Tenten." Neji's voice was suddenly in my ear, and I slowed to a stop. Neji and Lee slid on the ground a few feet, finally coming to a stop a good 10 feet ahead of me.

Even in my anger, I couldn't outrun them.

"What?" I snarled, looking at them.

"When we tell you to stop, we mean it," Neji growled.

"Don't treat me like a child! I can watch over myself. I'm not weak, you know," I argued right back, my words leaving no trace of having been heard on his impassive face.

"I never insinuated that you were weak, Tenten," he pointed out, still staring with those white, oppressive eyes.

"What, telling me to hold the scroll because you and Lee were more likely to protect me anyway? I knew where you were going. You and the rest of Konoha look at me like a child. A lonely, useless child. I sixteen, goddamnit! I can hit a bullseye 10 out of 10 times. I'm fast and smart. Sure, I can't heal. Sure, I've got no bloodline. Sure, I don't really have any jutsu…" My voice trailed off as I started to doubt myself again. No. I can't let myself fall prey to the self pity! "I'm just as good as any of the other girls! Even though the Hokage doesn't believe I am, I AM."

"We know, Tenten-chan. It is okay. Just calm down."

But by this time, with the tears streaming and the anger flowing, there was no calming down. Usually, I was levelheaded. Usually, I held all of this crap in. I've never, EVER cried in front of them. These guys, that I've known for years, and I've never let a single drop fall. Yet now, in the middle of a mission, I'm screaming my head off, probably giving any enemy ninja our location. God, how stupid could I get?

Suddenly, Neji's hand was clamped over my mouth and his own lips were next to my ear. "Tenten, quiet."

I stopped crying.

In a very small part of my brain, it aggravated me that Neji had this kind of power over me. After all, he treated me like a baby. He treated me like something weak and powerless. He respects Naruto more than he respects me. Yet, at his word, I'll stop crying. At his touch, at him being so close, I'll just calm down immediately.

I kind of maybe sicken myself. But a girl can't control who her hormones are attracted to…

"Now that you've calmed down, let's proceed, shall we?" he whispered once more.

I nodded. "Sorry," I muttered. "I don't know what came over me. I guess it's just everything came crashing down."

"It's okay," he responded, and removed his hand from my mouth. A small smirk formed over his face, and I followed him up toward Lee.

I felt extremely foolish, but I tried my best not to act like it. After all, who really cares what I think, yeah? Better just to pretend it was a stress thing than something I really felt and wanted them to know. Better pretend like none of it happened.

"Okay, everyone, I might as well tell you what Hokage-sama told me," Neji said, looking at Lee and I.

"Apparently, the reason she sent the three of us instead of a normal chuunin was not the arrival time, but the fact that this scroll contains information that a rogue group of ninja, who are monitoring the Cloud, want. That's why, against her better judgment, she sent a Byakugan user into a village that wants the power for themselves."

Lee and I exchanged glances at Neji's someone harder than usual tone. We both knew about his father, and how much he still resented the Cloud still. He usually wasn't one to let these kinds of things slip, but then again, he is more comfortable around us than he lets on.

"She wants us to protect this scroll and the Raikage's reply with our lives. Understood?"

"Yessir," we both responded at the same time.

"Good. Proceed."

We began our journey once more, with Neji leading the way (Byakugan on) and Lee and I following.

Lee looked over at me, black eyes full of concern. "Are you okay, Tenten-chan? You seemed very upset."

"I was just letting stress out. After what happened with that guy earlier, and Hokage-sama never trusting me… I was just thinking too much and too little at the same time, ya know?"

But Lee was not convinced, I could tell. "If you say so, Tenten."

The rest of the sprint into the Cloud was uneventful, like any other genin level mission. We were quickly allowed into the gate, shepherded to the Raikages office, and immediately seated.

"We have brought a scroll from Tsuande-sama," Neji said unemotionally, motioning for me to take the scroll out of my bag. I bent down to grab it, rolling my eyes slightly as he didn't even ask, and handed it to him. He then gave the scroll to the Raikage.

Way to bring back the middleman, Neji.

We averted our eyes as the Raikage did a few seals and opened the scroll. Soon enough, he had read it, and was writing the reply.

"This goes directly to Tsuande. No one else is to see it, understood?"

"Yessir," we all said in unison as we stood up. The Raikage handed me the scroll, and nodded at me. "I hope you will take good care of it, kunoichi."

I didn't say anything in response, but I felt a surge of happiness just knowing that someone was entrusting me with something so important without the reasoning that Neji had provided. The Raikage believed I was capable of holding this scroll and keeping it safe. Neji believed that I was capable of holding the scroll and HE could keep ME safe.

We stayed in the village for the rest of the night, preparing for the high speed day tomorrow. Neji had decided that we were leaving at the break of dawn, which gave us roughly 5 hours of sleep. It would be a nice rejuvenating sleep, leaving us ready for the day tomorrow. Oh wait… I've already said that, ne?

As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light. My bag was curled up next to me, and I snuggled up to it. No one was touching _my_ scroll when I was sleeping.

"Tenten."

Neji's voice jerked me awake, and I woke up to see the beginnings of sunlight through my groggy eyes. I blinked a few times, and then stood up, throwing the bag over my shoulder in the process.

Lee was still asleep, and Neji moved from my side to his, trying to wake up the 'youthful' sleeper.

"Oh wait, lemme change clothes first…" I said quickly, leaving Neji to his job of Lee-awakening. I whipped out the clothes I had brought, slipping them on in the bathroom. By the time I was done and ready to go (hair looking much neater), Lee was barely waking up.

"Neji…san…"

"Lee. If you do not wake up right now, you must run 1,000 laps when we get back."

Suddenly, Lee was wide awake, a grin plastered on his face. "I AM AWAKE, GAI-SENSEI."

It took all of us a few seconds to realize the mistake. Neji twitched, Lee rubbed the back of his head, and I did what any self-respecting person would do. I laughed my head off.

"Gai-sensei, that's great," I said, eyes streaming with joy.

"Be quiet, Tenten," Neji said, eye still twitching.

"Right, Gai-sensei," I said, saluting him. "Shall we be going?" He just ignored my Gai comment, and we left the village.

Neji was again leading, byakugan still on, and Lee was trailing me. Neji came to a complete stop, and I almost soared past him. I would have, if he didn't catch me by the waist to stop me. Lee skidded to a halt next to us, looking around.

"What's up?" I asked the white eyed genius next to me. I was trying hard to fight the blush that he was causing by still holding onto my waist.

"Someone was following us. They're coming our way. Be prepared."

"Right," Lee said, getting into a fighting stance. Neji let go of me and turned to face where I assumed one of the enemies was.

"Remember: protect the scroll," Neji said, still staring into apparently blank space for Lee and I. "Tenten, keep it with you," he muttered, looking at my bag.

In the blink of an eye, a kunai was flying right for me. I moved slightly to the side, and caught it by the handle. "One kunai, heh. Child's play."

I threw it right back where it had come from, and watched as it deflected two other kunai. A third one went flying by, and Neji turned his focus into another direction. "They're splitting up. I think they're trying to come at us from all sides. Be prepared."

We got into our battle position, standing back to back to back, and watched. Neji kept telling us their new position. "They are coming out now."

I flipped out my nunchaku staff and stared straight ahead. 20 or so people came running out from all different directions, and I could feel my teammates tense up, excited to fight.

"Big group. Buushin?" I asked.

"No. All separate people. They want the scroll."

Lee was suddenly out of formation, moving forward a few steps to attack a few of the enemy. Neji was soon following his lead, catching a few ninja in his 64 strike. That left me to deal with the 6 ninja in front of me.

I threw a few kunai, and then charged at the girl that was coming directly for me. She grinned as I took a swipe at her with my staff, and kept dodging as I kept trying to hit her. Luckily for me, the other kunai had found their mark. One person was bleeding from the eye, a few others had kunai in their legs.

"You're the one with the scroll, aren't you?" the red head in front of me asked. My eyes widened a fraction of a centimeter, and I hesitate not more than a second before trying to hit her again. "It's her!" the girl yelled, dodging another strike. I surprised her by stabbing her in the side with a kunai as she moved to dodge the staff, but it was too late. They had heard her message.

"Tenten!"

I felt shuriken enter my arms and legs, and kunai knives as well. I dropped the staff, and felt blood seep out of my mouth.

"Damn," I muttered.

A kunai had hit me square in the back of the head. I felt a surge of pain, and then; nothing. Darkness. Abyss.

"_Tenten!_"


	2. Surprise

**Nichole's Note: Woo, a nice, quick update. Thank you for all the reviews and hits and favorites/alerts! It means a lot, and it's good incentive to update! So I've got a new chapter for y'all. Read and review. Hope you love it!**

A pounding filled my head as suddenly as I found myself able to think again. It pulsated with the beat of my heart, and it echoed throughout my mind. 'Wake up, Tenten,' the beating told me. 'Wake up and see.' But I didn't want to do that. I didn't want to open my eyes.

My eyes were clenched shut, and I didn't feel the need to open them at the moment. With my luck, I'd open them to see a sky running above me and pass out again.

Yet it didn't feel as though I was moving. Or being carried. In fact, it felt like I was lying down.

I stretched one hand out, feeling the cramped and stiff muscle move. "Tch," I said, eyes clenching harder together. My arm had to be moved slowly, as any faster it hurt, until I hit a wall.

Ah, good. A wall. That meant that I wasn't moving. My right eye slowly opened, and I instantly regretted it as the light was streaming in from the window, and it hurt. So, instinctually, I closed my eye once more. Rolling on my side, away from the window, I decided it would be a smart thing to at least see where I was, although I guessed by the bed and the window that I was in a hospital. Most likely, the Konoha hospital.

Both of my chocolate brown eyes opened at the same time, and I had to squint for a minute before anything would come into focus. It felt like my eyes hadn't been used in such a long time, they weren't used to seeing. Or, my brain wasn't used to processing the images.

Stiff legs, blurred eyes… "Geeze, how long have I been out?"

The last thing I could remember was feeling the sudden and horrible pain of being stabbed in the head.

Right… the kunai wound…

I slid my stiff arm upward until I could feel the back of my head. I searched and searched through my slightly greasy hair, but I didn't feel a gaping hole or a bandage. I felt a scar. A medium sized, smooth feeling scar.

I kept running my fingers over it, feeling a strange wonder at it's smoothness. I must have been out for at least a month, maybe more, for it to be healed over this well.

The sound of footsteps made my heart beat ridiculously fast, as though I was doing some kind of criminal act and about to be found out. I shut my eyes, and moved back into the position I had originally been in. I cracked open an eye, barely able to see over my lashes, and kept it trained on the door.

The door opened, revealing a very pink head of hair. I could almost feel a breath of relief at the sight of Sakura; since she went on missions a lot, she dealt mostly with short term patients.

"Well hello there, Tenten," she said in a sing-song voice. "I see you are sleeping again today. Big surprise there." She pulled up a chart from the foot of my bed, and made a few marks on it. She kept humming to some tune I didn't recognize, and then it struck me.

Sakura looked different. A lot different. And I didn't hang around her much, so for me to notice, it must have been drastic.

She looked… _older_.

"I guess it's time for your bath, then, dearest. Time to start getting you undressed. You wouldn't have a problem with that, now would you? Ah, but first, I guess I have to check your eyes. It's about that time of the week again." She reached into the pocket of her white coat, and pulled out a little light. She walked over to me, pushing a chair, and opened one of my eyelids. It was all I could do not to shut it.

I could see her much clearer now that I wasn't trying to hide my eye. She did look older. Her hair was longer, and she looked a little… more mature in the body, if you catch my drift.

A look of small confusion swept her face, and I realized I had been moving my eyeball around a little bit, so I relaxed it and just stared into space, hoping she would get this done and over with so I could get my hands on that file and find out what was up with me.

Well, that was my plan, anyway. Until she turned on the light.

"Ow!" I exclaimed, trying to clench my eye shut. No one likes to have a light shined onto their delicate eyeball, now do they?

"Geeze, what was that f-" I started, but then stopped at the look on Sakura's face. She looked… confused and frightened, but even more so, stunned.

"Ten…ten…" she muttered, looking at me, still full of surprise. I sat up slowly, coming to eye level with her in her little chair.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" I asked suddenly, when the look didn't leave her face. Her eyes were still wide, and her mouth still hung open a little bit.

"But… but you're… you've been… How did this…"

It didn't seem like the rosette medic was going to finish a sentence anytime soon, so I grabbed the chart from her lap.

I'm not going to lie, it confused the hell out of me. There were marks and notes all over the pages that were stuck inside of it, but the important things caught my eye. Most of them were marked off, like they had been done.

"_Multiple injuries, tearing of multiple muscles. Internal bleeding in many places, including but not limited to the lungs and cranium."_

"_Physical therapy needed for at least 3 years."_

"_Head trauma, cracking of the skull; occipital lobe torn. Requires weekly healing for at least 2 years." _

"_Coma induced; has not woken." _It was the only one that hadn't been marked off.

"I guess that last part can finally be marked off," Sakura said in a soft voice.

But I was busy looking back over the number of years that were marked down. "Do I need to go to physical therapy?" I said, looking from the chart to Sakura and back to the chart again.

She shook her head. "No, you've moved past that. Well, you still went every week, but only to keep your muscles from degenerating."

The obvious question rang in my head, and I looked straight into her green eyes. "How long… have I been out… then…?

She bit her lip, choosing not to look at me in the eye. "Tenten, I don't think that it's best for me to tell you." I turned away from her. It felt like my body knew exactly how long I had been out; as if it knew exactly how long it had to wait for my brain to respond. My brain, however, was lost.

Konoha was enjoying another sunny, happy day. Kids were playing in the street, people were out in the market, and even the birds were enjoying a cloudless day. Everything looked different; even Hokage Manor, which I could see from my window, seemed much, much different somehow.

"Sakura," I said, letting the realization settle in. "I don't remember the hospital being this close to Hokage Manor."

There was a pause. Silence filled the room, and Sakura let out another breath. "Yeah, well, I think you'll find Konoha much different than you remember."

I continued to stare at her, confusion coloring my face. "Why?"

"Look, Tenten, I don't want to be the one to tell you this. I really don't…" I knew that she was uncomfortable with this. I mean, who wouldn't be?

"Either answer how long I've been out or tell me what happened to make Hokage Manor this close to the hospital."

Another long pause. It looked like she was debating which one would be the easier thing to tell me. Her eyes flashed back and forth, from one point on the tiled floor to another. Back and forth between the two choices.

"You've been in a coma for 5 years, Tenten," she said quietly, finally looking up at me. I just sat there, frozen. 5… years? 5 whole years? My entire mind rejected the idea, telling me she was kidding. It was a bad practical joke. She would burst out laughing and tell me that I had actually only been under for a few weeks, and this whole thing was just a joke. Even the chart.

But my hand subconsciously moved to the back of my head, and I felt the smooth skin once more. Tears formed in my eyes, and I felt ridiculously foolish. Two times in the last three days, I'd cried.

And then realization came to my mind as the tears continued to flow. It had actually been about 5 years since I had a good cry, hadn't it?

"Five YEARS?! Sakura…" I said, rubbing the tears from my eyes with the back of my hand.

"I know it's hard to believe, Tenten." I could hear the pity in her voice. She probably felt like she was talking to a child, someone so young. Yet I was the older one here. I was the 21 years old, compared to her measly 20. But then again, my mind was still the same of my 16 year old self, so I guess in some ways she was older than I was.

"I'm TWENTY fucking ONE! That's FIVE whole years of my life I'll never get back!" I was sobbing harder now, and I felt her hand make its way to my back. "Five whole years…" I thought about everything that had most likely changed since I had gone into this coma. Obviously, Konoha had changed. I wondered if my parent's house was still intact or if they had cleared it out and sold it since I was incapable of living in it.

And I didn't even want to get into the people I had left behind. If Sakura looked this different to someone who barely ever hung out with her, imagine how Hinata much look. Or Lee or Gai-sensei. Or Neji…

"Sakura…" I said, and she hugged me full on. I kept crying, glad to have someone to cry on, even if it was out of pity.

"Tenten, if it helps, this is a great day. You know, some of them doubted you'd ever wake up. But I knew you would. Eventually." I could hear the smile in her voice, and I pulled back to look at her. "You're just too strong to give up like that. It was a miracle when your brain healed fully, although everyone here wondered if you would be able to see when you woke up. It's amazing, you know."

I figured I should be happy, but just being a successful experiment of a medic didn't sound like the perfect thing to brighten my day. Especially not when I was just told some pretty bad news. "I know it is, but it doesn't really help. But thanks for believing in my, Sakura. It means more than you probably will ever know."

She smiled, and I couldn't help but smile back. She was just that type of person. But I still felt rotten inside. We sat like that for a really long time while I calmed down. We talked a bit, and she mostly just listened. But for the most part, she just sat with me while I finished crying.

She stood up, and looked down at me. "Well, I've got to go…"

I knew she had rounds, but I still didn't want her to leave. To be left alone again… I mean, I wanted to think things over by myself. But she seemed closer to me now than I guess everyone else was, and it was comforting to have someone like that here. With me.

"Sakura, could you do me one favor, please?"

"Sure. Do you want to see someone? Do you want me to contact Neji or Lee?"

I bit my lip, frowning. Actually, that was the exact opposite of my request. I don't know why I wanted it to be a secret. I just didn't want to see a ton of people right now. I didn't want to see what these years had done to them, who they had become while I laid here, all alone in my bed. I especially didn't want to see my team. I didn't want to see Neji, or Lee, or what they looked like now. I just wanted to sit here, staring at the wall.

"I'd rather you didn't. In fact, if you wouldn't mind, I'd rather that no one else knew that I was awake." Her questioning glance told me that I needed to elaborate on the reasoning, so I just took a deep breath and began. "I just want to see everyone for myself, before they realize who it is, you know? I want to see how they've really changed without me. I don't want their pity or their fakeness on me. I just want to see."

Sakura nodded, probably finding my reasoning strange, but understandable. "I would hate to break that favor, but since you are a ninja, I'm going to have to alert the Hokage, okay? Do you mind?"

"No, of course not. I guess it would be nice to see Tsunade-sama, if I have to," I said with a smile, but it was immediately dropped when I saw Sakura's saddened expression.

"Actually, Tsuande-sama died a few years back. But I can give you the next best thing; Naruto will be here to see you soon."

Any normal person would have been a little more surprised to hear his name attached to the title of Hokage, but I was one of the people who had believed in his endeavor for a long time. Ever since he defeated Neji in the Chuunin exams, I had a good feeling that he would be going far in life.

"Oh. Well, I'm very sorry. It must have been a great loss to the village," I said, my voice steady. I had missed her dying. I had missed some great terror coming to the village. I had missed 5 years of my life, and everyone else's. That might be a liiiittle hard to come back from.

"Yeah. It was," Sakura said, her eyes dimming for a second. Sakura was always Tsunade's favorite; even between Sakura and Shizune, everyone knew that Sakura took the cake. The pink haired medic walked out, leaving my behind in the room I guessed I had stayed in for five years.I noticed the tag on the door read "Tenten."

It was cool, yet depressing at the same time that I had a room that was all mine. It was cool because only the long term patients got them. But then again, it was depressing because I was a long term patient.

As I sat in my room and waited for the blonde ninja to arrive, I had a lot of time to think. Strangely enough, all of my thoughts seemed to drift back to Neji and Lee, and Gai-sensei. I wondered how they all got along without me. Neji was probably secretly happy… not that he had lost a teammate, but that he didn't have to deal with and protect me anymore. Lee was most likely sad, but he was probably also relieved that he didn't need to walk me home or babysit me anymore. And I kind of doubted Gai-sensei even noticed I was gone. Maybe they told him that I was on a really, really, really long mission.

He would have gone for that.

"Tenten?" A voice rang from the doorway, breaking into my mind theatre's rendition of Gai-sensei asking Neji where Tenten had gone, and Neji telling him that Tenten had decided to take a diplomatic mission to Kirigakure for a few years.

The door opened to reveal a blonde headed, blue eyed Naruto, grinning like an idiot. "Sakura said you were awake, but I thought she might have been kidding. Sometimes her sense of humor can be off if she's been working for too long."

"Hey there, boss," I said, smiling. It seemed too weird to call him Hokage-sama, even if I knew he would be Hokage one day. In my mind, he was still 15.

"Boss… I like that. It's better than being called Kyuubi or Jackass." I giggled, surprising myself at the sound. My voice seemed a little off, but I guess that was just one of the facts of getting older. Things change.

"So Sakura tells me that you don't anyone to know you've woken up. Why? Don't you want to go see all of your friends?"

I frowned slightly, hating to go through this again, but I knew that Sakura thought it was a matter of privacy. Patient confidentiality, after all.

"Because if everyone knew that I was awake and alive, they'd all be here. And yeah, I'd love to see them. But they'd also be really fake. They'd want to pretend like nothing had changed since that day; that they were still the same person. But we'd both know it just isn't true. You're probably about the only person who can be real with me… you and Sakura."

I didn't say anything about not wanting to see Neji with some girl that he had married, or Lee with a team of genin. I didn't want to tell Naruto that I was afraid that I had held them back when I was still with them. I didn't want to tell him that part of me didn't want to know what they had done with their lives.

"I see," Naruto said, looking at me. "I understand what you're feeling, completely." I highly doubted he did, and that just drove the feeling of not wanting anyone to know home.

"But that doesn't mean I want to stay holed up in here," I said. "I want to go around in Konoha and see what's changed. If no one knows I'm awake, I can see them all without fear of pity, right?"

Naruto frowned slightly. "Tenten, I don't think you'll be able to get around town that easily. I mean, it has changed since the attack, I'm sure you've realized."

"What attack?"

"Sakura didn't tell you?" he asked, surprised. His brow furrowed, and he stroked his chin thoughtfully. My mind was drawn back to Hokage Manor, and why she wouldn't tell me what had happened. I shook my head. "Oh. Well, while you were out on this mission, Konoha was attacked. By Pein. He was looking for me, but I wasn't here.

"So he went on the warpath with his various bodies, and kept trying to find me. The bodies killed some people, but they definitely didn't do the most damage."

I wondered where this was going.

"Pein used some kind of jutsu, and turned Konoha into one giant crater. Everything was gone. It was all rubble. People were crushed, buildings were destroyed… it was terrible. So after Pein was defeated, we rebuilt Konoha again. It was much smaller than it had been, but it's starting to grow back to its former glory."

The image of my parents house being reduced to rubble was about enough to make me cry again. It was the last thing I had of them, and it was gone. It's been gone for 5 years now. All the stuff I held dear, and all the stuff I had been used to seeing… Gone.

"Did… any of my stuff…?" I asked, semi-hopeful. Maybe something had survived.

"Well, whatever you had on you when you were attacked is fine. As for your house… I don't know. I can't say. Maybe if Neji, Lee, or Gai decided to retrieve some of it, but if they didn't then… No, I don't think so."

"Oh."

Naruto and I, much like Sakura and I, sat in silence. It was kind of awkward, sitting here with him, being told that my village was reduced to rubble while I was on a mission, knowing that we hadn't really ever been friends before this. Yeah, awkward is a good word.

"Do you think that I could… go exploring around Konoha, then?" I asked, not looking at him but at the sheets of my bed. It dawned on me about halfway through or conversation that my body looked older, and I was just wearing a measly hospital gown, so I pulled the sheets further up on my body.

"Well, yeah, I guess," he said, a little surprised once more. "But it would have to be under conditions."

"Of course," I said, nodding my head. Nothing was complete with a good set of conditions.

"You have to come back here every night, and if Sakura tells you to stay in for some reason, or you be back at a certain time, then you have to come back." I rolled my eyes, feeling like a little kid again.

"I'm not that stupid, you know."

"Just thought I'd cover it. Also, I'm going to need to tell a third person about you."

"What?!" I exclaimed, my eyes shooting over to him.

"You're going to need an escort. I don't know if being in a coma causes side effects. Neither does Sakura. They don't know if something will go wrong, because you've been here for so long, unconscious. For all you know, your vision could fail. And then you'd be screwed. But trust me, they'll stay out of your way, and leave you alone. Unless you want their help, that is."

I nodded, understanding his condition of the escort. He was just looking out for me, I guess.

"Anything else, boss?"

"No, that's about it. Medical conditions and an escort. I'll get Sakura to get you some clothes before tomorrow, so you can set out and have all the explorey fun you want to have."

He grinned once more, and stood up, preparing to leave. "Thanks, Hokage-sama," I said, smiling at him.

"You can call me Boss if you'd like. Or Naruto would work just as well. I like being called Hokage, but it just sounds… strange, coming from you. No offense."

"None taken. Trust me, it feels weird saying it."

"Until tomorrow, then, Tenten."


	3. Changing

**Nichole's note: Sorry it took so long to update! School has kind of killed me, but I'm back, and writing the next chapter as you read this. Too bad FF isn't letting me upload for some reason. :l I've been trying for days, and it keeps on with a technical error. So here's for hoping.**

I took a deep breath, and looked back out the window. Naruto said that my escort would be here this morning after I had seen Sakura, but since I had not seen head or tail of the pink haired wonder, I figured my escort wasn't here yet.

The breath escaped my lips as my eyes traced the small bit of the village I could see from my window. Everything looked kind of crowded, but so much different than it had before.

I hated it.

Hatedhatedhatedhated it.

"Tenten?" a voice asked as my door opened again. I guess it was normal for Sakura to check on me at this time of day, and since I was being such a peculiar patient by not wanting anyone but the most necessary people now I wake, she had to act normal. Which meant she just couldn't come rushing in here until she had done her usual routine for the day.

"Yeah, Sakura?"

"I have some clothes here for you, but I figure you'd want to take a shower before putting them on. They're different from your usual Chinese style, but since you don't want to be recognized and I couldn't actually _find_ a Chinese styled shirt, I hoped these would do."

I looked from the window to her worried expression, and I knew that she was really having a dilemma with this.

"That's amazing, Sakura. Thank you so much."

She was right; they were different from my usual style. The clothes were a black pair of pants and a dark red shirt, bigger than I remembered my clothes being. But then again, I was a lot different. It was going to be hell remembering that everything is different.

"The shower is down the hall; take the second hallway to the left, and it will be the first blue door. I'll stay in your room why you aren't here, so if someone does come in, I can tell them why our coma patient has suddenly moved." She handed me my clohes, some shampoo, conditioner, a toothbrush, toothpaste, a hairbrush, and finally, a hair tie.

I just smiled, and slipped past her into the hallway. The hospital was still in the same set-up as usual; a lot of doors and whiteness all around. At least that blandness would never change.

I slipped my way past all the nurses and other patients, trying to avoid the gaze of as many people as possible. None of them would recognize me, I assumed, since I was basically a living doll for the last five years. But that didn't stop me from keeping my head low until I reached the blue door that held the showers.

I locked the door behind me and dropped the clothes I was holding onto a counter. It was a single shower, with a mirror and a counter in the room. This was probably a staff shower, for when they were working two or three day shifts.

I slipped off the nasty hospital uniform I had been in for who knows how long, and stepped into the warm shower. My skin responded like it hadn't felt water in ages, but I knew that it was just because this was the first time my brain was picking up the nerve readings.

"What am I supposed to do now?" I asked, staring straight ahead through the water. "I can't stay here. I can't live at this hospital forever. Where in the world am I supposed to live? Am I even qualified to be a ninja anymore?"

Probably not, I reasoned. I mean, who would want a girl that Sakura thinks could go into a coma again? Who would want someone useless like me? Hell, I wasn't even sure if I could be a ninja anymore. It took me years of practice to reach my skill level.

YEARS.

And I had to practice every day to keep it up to par, to make sure I held my place. But five whole years of lying in a bed, only moving to keep my muscles from degenerating? I wouldn't be surprised if a kunai felt heavy and irregular in my hand.

Without my one skill, what do I have? 4 years of experience I couldn't use. I'd be dead weight to any team now. I'm not even sure if I can run quickly anymore. Walking still feels a little stiff.

I'm back to square one.

Tears rolled down my cheeks again, mixing their salty taste with the pure water I was bathing with. I squirted some shampoo into my hands, and lathered it up into a nice foam before scrubbing my head. It felt amazing.

As I was washing my hair, my mind tracked back to a joke Lee and I had going about Neji and his always shiny, always perfect hair. We used to think he got way too much enjoyment out of a trivial task like taking good care of his hair. I started to laugh, thinking of my old teammates, and how funny it would be to tell Lee that I had begun to like washing my hair.

The laughter continued, but the good feeling had immediately been killed.

How different were they?

If Sakura, with her still short hair that was more shaggy than I remember, and a body that was just about as womanly as her mentor herself, was so different, then how would Lee look? More like Gai-sensei? Would his hair be any longer? Would he be more muscular than before?

And Neji…

No. I didn't want to think about that. Damnit, I was going out today! I'd hopefully get to see them! I'd get to see what they'd done with their lives.

I twisted the shower off at the sound of a knocking on the door.

"Hey, who's in there?! Sakura, is that you? I saw your name for about this time on the sheet, but I need to talk to you!"

A male's voice filled my head, keeping my heart beating in terror. What should I do? What should I do, what should I do what should I doooo.

I grabbed a towel and calmly walked over to the counter, my heart still beating ridiculously fast and my mind working at high speeds.

"Sakura, oy, I need to talk to you about the assignment! Troublesome…"

"Sorry, Sakura's not in here, she told me I could use the shower instead because she forgot she had to take a patient to therapy!"

My lie was followed by silence, and then I heard the mysterious person mumble an apology. "Do you know where I could find her, then?"

"Um, no… I'm guessing my ro- I mean, a patients room." I picked up the hairbrush, trying to seem as nonchalant as possible, and started brushing my hair. If I was doing something normal, maybe I wouldn't feel so nervous about this.

Yeah. Because that makes tons of sense.

"Sorry for bothering you, then."

"S'no problem," I answered, letting out a small sigh of relief as I heard the footsteps head off in some direction away from the bathroom.

If I couldn't even handle someone who couldn't see me, what was in my head that I could go out where _everyone_ could see me? What kind of idiot was I?

I ran the toothbrush under the water in the sink, staring back at my reflection.

II didn't look the same as the last time I remembered staring into a mirror. My hair was a lot longer than before. It reached to my lower back; I guessed Sakura had kept it cut, but she didn't know how long I'd want it. My fingernails were perfectly shaped, white, and longer than usual. My hands were soft, not their usual calloused feel. I didn't have any scrapes or bruises, like I used to get.

I looked good. I looked a lot more like a girl than I used to. It surprised me. I couldn't say I didn't like it.

It was just different.

I slipped on the bra and underwear, followed by the pants and the top. They fit well. I picked up the hair bow Sakura had given me, and began pulling my superlong hair into their usual buns, but I stopped myself. For one, I only had a single hair bow. And two, it would be way too easily recognized. So I contented myself by pulling it into a ponytail, which reached my middle back. It reminded me somewhat of Ino, which was good. The less I looked like myself, the better for now.

I folded up the towel and dropped it into the Towel bin outside as I made my way back to my room with the stuff Sakura had given me and my hospital gown. I felt clean, which felt good, and my mouth felt great.

It was only the inside that was a giant, horrid pit of conflictions.

I arrived at my door, and was about to open it when I heard voices inside. I could identify one; that was Sakura. The other was so familiar to me, it was driving me insane.

Who was it?

"This is troublesome, Sakura," the voice said, and it hit me.

It was the voice from the bathroom. If I could recognize his voice, what made me think he wouldn't recognize mine? He'd know I was aw…

Wait. He was standing in my room.

God, of course he's know I was awake. I knocked on the door, with a small, "Sakura, it's me." The door opened, and the pinkette smiled.

"Good, you're here," she said, pulling me inside. I handed her the toiletries, and she set them on my bedside table. I wasn't paying attention to the third person in the room. "Tenten, this is going to be your watchdog. He has specific orders from Naruto not to bother you unless you want him to, and to bring you back here if anything happens, like you fall into a c- I mean, if anything happens."

I turned at that moment to our third party, and let out a small gasp. Even though he was more muscular, taller, and surprisingly, much better looking than before, I knew him.

I recognized that pointy hair. "Shikamaru!" I said, surprised.

"Hey, Tenten," he said, still staring at me. "So you really did wake up… Huh." We sat in silence for a second, and then he said, "Sorry for bothering you in the shower earlier… I guess this is why Sakura was signed up for it, though."

"Yeah… You kind of freaked me out, but it's fine. So… can we head out?" I looked from Shikamaru to Sakura, who nodded.

"Yep. I'll leave your room locked; Shikamaru has the key. I expect you back when my shift ends at nine so I can check on you before going home."

"Yes mother. I'll be home." I rolled my eyes, but I grinned, knowing she was just kidding with me.

"I left some money on the fridge for pizza and the emergency numbers are all on the phone. Take good care of my baby, will you, Shikamaru?" Sakura said, extending the joke to the shadow user as well.

Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head. "Whatever, Sakura."

The medic gave me a quick hug, and then left the room. I looked over at Shikamaru, who was standing with his hands crammed into his pockets.

"Do you want me to be with you when you walk around, or would you rather I hide?"

"Which do you prefer?"

"Well, if I were with you, it'd be lot less suspicious. I am the welcoming committee for foreign ninja. You'll also be subjected to being bothered by people who talk to me and having to be introduced if the need arises, so we'd have to come up with an alias. But from the shadows, I can watch, and you can get a feel for the city. You'll probably stand out less by yourself, but if an ANBU notices you without knowing who you are, it could lead to problems. Especially if I can't tell them."

The decision was left up to me. I weighed Shikamaru's pros and cons in my head, letting the idea of both settle before me.

"I'll walk around by myself, but if I need you, I'll call, okay?"

"That sounds perfectly fine with me." I nodded, and he opened the door for me, telling me he was going to show me to the exit and then be gone until he heard his name from my lips. I nodded again, letting him lead me toward the exit, and once we were out the door, he disappeared.

The first thing I did was look around, letting the sight of this new world take me in.

'_He turned Konoha into one giant crater. Everything was gone. It was all rubble.'_

That's right. It was all different now, wasn't it? All because of some man whom I never had to see.

I turned to the left, and began walking. Hokage Tower was behind me, and the village was before me. People lined the streets, talking, laughing. Stores were open, and people were yelling down the street, looking for customers.

I kept walking, marveling in the glory of the open market. It was so much different this time around! It seemed like more people were here, selling much different things. I guess after the demolishing, some people were incapacitated and then decided to open a shop instead of be a ninja or some other worker.

My explorations took me from stall to stall, and I was having a blast. I never knew that just kicking back and relaxing like this could actually help me feel not so bad about this whole thing. I mean, I hate shopping. I really do. Or at least, I used to. It seemed like such a chore when I could be spending my time going on missions, or training with Neji or something.

But now, looking at the necklaces and the food and the weapons and everything displayed in windows and on stalls, I couldn't help but feel a little excited. I slightly spazzed out when I saw that a favorite weapons shop of mine was still in business. I walked up toward it, and my eyes lit up when I saw the new stock of weapons.

I walked in, and heard the door close. A spiky haired ninja was suddenly beside me, and I looked over at him. He didn't acknowledge my glance, so I just went about my business.

"Ohh, what's this?" I asked myself, picking up something I had never seen before. It was a seal, but it wasn't an exploding tag.

"It's a poison tag," the lazy voice said in my ear. "That way the attacker doesn't have to get their hands dirty lacing weapons with poison."

"They have those now?" I asked, impressed. I would have never thought that it would be an issue to line the weapons with poison. It must be hard for the specialty workers who spend hours making and marketing new poisons to buyers like me. Were they out of business? More mainstream now? I wondered over to a container of slim, sharp looking objects. "And these are?"

"Kunai knives."

"Kunai knives are way bigger than this, Shikamaru. I used to own quite a few; I know what they look like."

"Yeah, but these ones are also lighter, which means that messenger ninja and teams built for speed can carry these without worrying about extra weight. They really are useful."

I picked one up, examined it, and set it down. Things have changed, even with the one thing I thought I'd always have; my weapons. Yet, here are new ones I've never seen before. It's exciting. Very exciting.

I was happily looking around until I came down a less crowded street, and saw the overhang for the Yamanaka Flower Shop. It had a sign on the door.

"Oy! Are you here to buy flowers?" A voice called as I walked over to the shop. The sign merely said '50% off specially marked flowers', but I had been attracted by it, so now I was trapped.

"Um…" I said, panicking. I couldn't call for Shikamaru, she'd be curious. I'd have to think my way out of this. "Um…"

"You look like a cute girl; cute girls should have flowers bought for them." Ino stood before me, blonde hair in a long ponytail, similar to mine. She wore a purple tank top and black pants, with an apron bearing 'Yamanaka Flower Shop' on it. Her bangs, still pulled to one side, hit at her shoulders, and her nails were painted a vivid purple. Her eyes were lined in black, making the blue stand out. She seemed a little shorter now, but I had to remind myself that I had gotten taller.

"Oh, there you are, Kyaten. You had me worried," Shikamaru's voice pierced my thoughts. I looked over at him, and he was standing, stoic expression on his face.

"Ehh? Shikamaru, you know this girl? Who is she, your lover?"

Oh no! Another hard question! "I-"

"She's from another village. I'm with her as long as she's here, which is for a while, seeing as she's working closely with some tracker ninja and Hokage-sama." The lie came so smoothly off his lips; I was glad to have him trail me.

"Well hello, Kyaten! I'm Ino, Shikamaru's best friend since we were kids! You've got a great tour guide here. Hope you enjoy your stay in Konoha and make sure that idiot boyfriend of mine doesn't screw up too much!" she smiled cheerfully.

I just smiled, thinking that she meant Shikamaru with her boyfriend comment, and the genius led me out of the shop. I could hear Ino humming happily as the door swung close, and I looked over at Shikamaru.

"Damnit, I forgot her and Naruto go out now. I'll have to tell him about this so he can be prepared before getting bombarded about you." Shikamaru walked by my side in silence, and then he realized something.

"Ah, you wanted me to be unseen, right? Sorry," he said, putting a tanned hand to his head. I was still in semi-shock that Naruto and Ino were going out, seeing as they never had given each other the time of day before now.

He was about to leave when I stopped him with my question. "When did they start going out, anyway?"

Shikamaru gave me a look of confusion for a second, and then he realized. "Geeze, I keep forgetting you've been in a coma for a while. They started dating about three years back, actually."

"Really? And here I was always rooting for Hinata and Naruto to get together."

"I wouldn't let her husband hear you say that, Tenten."

WAIT, WHAT? I looked over at Shikamaru, not able to say a thing, but my mind was still shouting. HOLD UP, it yelled.

Suddenly, I felt the shouts become quieter and quieter, and my focus faded in and out. "No, we've only been out for like an hour," I mumbled, stumbling forward. My knees hit the ground.

"Tenten, what's wrong?" His voice was slightly panicked.

"I feel really, really dizzy," I responded quietly, a headache kicking in. "Really, really, really…" My voice got weaker and weaker as I tried to steady myself on all fours. "What's happening to me?"

"You've exhausted your energy for today. I'll have to take you back." His voice was closer now, and I felt him lift me up.

In my half-conscious stupor, I got the feeling of déjà-vu. The back of my head throbbed painfully, like the wound was re-opening, and I could almost hear someone, not Shikamaru, but someone, saying that it was going to be all right.

'_It's going to be all right, Tenten. I've got you.'_


	4. Chance Meeting

**Nichole's Note: So this update was a little faster than my last one; I know, I said I had most of it written, which I did! But then I got distracted by my research paper, and school had to take priority again. So here it is! I hope you enjoy it! Oh, and please… REVIEW! C:**

A quick, dull pain throbbed in my legs as my eyes slowly cracked open once more. The first thing I noticed was that the usual sunlight that had flooded my room since I had opened my eyes a few days ago was not there; in fact, the window had completely disappeared and transformed into a white cinderblock wall.

I could see Sakura from where I was, and she was writing something in the metal chart labeled Tenten. I blinked a few times, my body screaming in pain with each movement I tried to make. "Ugh, Sakura, what happened to me?" I asked, my voice sounding scratchy.

Her green eyes looked up from the clipboard to my face. "Tenten, you're awake?"

"No, I'm randomly talking to you from beyond the grave," I said, looking at her. She still looked the same as she did when I last saw, which was good. I didn't pass out for another five years.

Her small chuckle let me know there was something wrong, however, and I'm sure my question glance let her know she had let something slip.

"How long this time?" I asked, choosing to look at the ceiling instead of the doctor's face.

"Only a few days! It's only been about three days since you passed out, Tenten, which is amazing. See, your body is so used to sleep, that the excursion probably wiped you out of all the energy you had, and it wanted a nap. But only three days! It could have been a month! You're recovering well."

I sighed. "You say three days like it's amazing that I passed out for 72 hours after being out for only an hour. I'm sure that in your mind, it's great, but in my mind, all I know is I'm weak. With all this crying I've been doing, I'm not enjoying this weakness, too."

"So it's been decided. You'll stay here with me for a few days while we run tests and try and stress your body out, and-"

"Whoa, Sakura. I don't want to stay here for a few days. I want to go back out."

She gave me a disapproving look, like cutting off the doctor was not smart. And, probably, it wasn't. But I didn't want to stay holed up in this place like some test subject. I wanted to see the changes. I wanted to become part of my village again.

"Tenten, this is not something I'm willing to budge on. You are NOT going out. If you pass out again…"

I looked her in the eyes. "Shikamaru will be there to bring me back. My body needs to get used to wasting energy, not spending days inside, hardly doing anything, only to go outside and pass out again. Why would I stay inside? I'm a walking miracle. Do tests on me outside of the hospital."

Her sign was loud and annoyed. I was being childish. I was being whiny. I sounded like a spoiled child. But I could not wait out my entire life in this place, waiting to return to normal, could I?

"Aww, Sakura, let our little 'Kyaten-chan' go!" Naruto's voice called gleefully.

"Yeah, Sakura. Listen to the Boss!" I pleaded, ready to go out. My body still ached slightly with every movement, but I wanted to get out. The pain was just a natural part of getting stronger.

"Fine. I can't argue with the Hokage. But Naruto, why'd you call her Kyaten?"

"Shikamaru didn't tell you?"

"No…?

"That's his pet name for her," Naruto said, an evil grin on his face. Sakura just rolled her eyes, and Naruto laughed out loud. I didn't understand much of what was going on, but they had something, and I wasn't going to ruin it for them.

"So I can go?" I looked eagerly from Naruto to Sakura for a conformation.

Sakura sighed again, and Naruto nodded. "I'll have to go collect your shadow, though," he said, smiling.

"Thank you, Boss!" I said, smiling myself. It's a good thing Naruto was on my side.

I felt a hand on my back as soon as Naruto was gone, and I turned my attention o the medic behind me. "Sakura?" I asked, taking in her expression. She looked kind of upset, and I could feel the beginnings of doubt about this outing. Was it really going to do me that bad of a deal?

"Tenten," she said, her voice low. "I wanted to warn you about something that… Well, it might be tough, and I just wanted to let you know… It's about N-"

"WE'RE BACK AND READY TO GO!" Naruto called, busting into the room with a certain Nara on his heels, looking embarrassed.

Sakura immediately straightened, and pulled me up as well. "I just gave you a shower this morning, so you should be good. Have fun out there. And Shikamaru!" Sakura said, turning slightly to face the spiky haired ninja, "Remember… if something should happen to her, bring her back. And don't let her out of your sight! And another thing, if she can make it, since it's about dinner anyway…"

I zoned out as she gave instructions to Shikamaru about me. I was just thinking of where I was wanting to go today; maybe I'd go explore the town some more, or go to a training field. Hey, I could even just take off, and see where that leads me!

"You ready to go?" Shikamaru asked, dragging me back to reality. In my daydreaming about Konoha, I had missed Sakura and Naruto leaving. Damn; I wanted to ask Sakura what she was going to tell me before they came in… I nodded, and he grabbed my arm, pulling me up and out of the door. "Same set-up as yesterday?"

"Mhmmm."

And he left it at that. See, that was why I was glad that Shikamaru was the one shadowing me. He left me alone. He didn't ask questions about how it felt to be in a coma. He answered my questions. He also was there when I needed him to be, and helped me out. His girlfriend was lucky to have him.

Did he even have a girlfriend?

His hand let go of mine as soon as we reached the doors, and he was gone. What a good shadow. My mind raced back to my plans for today, and I weighed the three options in my mind.

_Shops?_ Nah, I'd rather not do that again. After all, it feels like just yesterday that I was out in the streets. It felt too… organized for two days in a row.

_Training fields?_ But then again, I don't want to wear my body out. And it's not like I'd train anyway; that'd defeat the purpose of exploring.

So, random it was!

Pushing off from the ground with what little bit of chakra I could muster, I took off running in a random direction. I had no idea where I was going or what was there, but hey! That's the fun of exploring!

Suddenly, I felt the presence of Shikamaru beside me. "Tenten, what are you doing?"

"Running," I said, panting. My body wasn't liking this exercise. It wasn't used to running.

"I see that. But why this way? Let's go back."

"No," I said, still running. What was his problem, anyway? I could feel the energy draining from my body, but the determination to see what Shikamaru was so against drove me toward the field. Just a little drop of rebellion had welled up inside of me.

"You know what, I'd rather you-"

"We're here," I said, stopping in a field I didn't recognize. What was his problem? In the field, I only saw three kids, practicing sparring just like we used to. "Shikamaru, there is nothing wrong here," I said, speaking to the spiky haired ninja that was… I looked around, noticing a certain lack of Shikamaru.

Damnit, he left me by myself.

"Lee-sensei!" a boy's voice called out. "Lee-sensei, there's a girl here!"

"Do not joke with me," a voice rang out that I recognized a little too much for my liking. Tears came to my eyes, and they fell silently. I get it… I knew why Shikamaru tried to stop me from going here. He was protecting me, or trying to, at least. But where was he now?

"No really, Lee-sensei! She's crying!" The girl was pointing at me, running over to me. "Hey, onee-sama, why are you crying?"

"It's nothing," I choked out, looking at her. She had brown hair and violet eyes, but that's not what I was looking at. It was the green jumpsuit that caught my eye. The memories came flooding back to me; it seemed like Lee had a bit more control over his pupils than Gai did over Neji and me.

"What are you wearing?" I asked, looking at her. She sighed, frowning. She didn't like it, either.

"Lee-sensei makes us wear it when we train like this. He said it used to make his team bond together when they trained in these suits. I don't believe him, but it's not like there is anyone but him to ask. His other two teammates… well, one doesn't talk to kids, and the other is dead, so I guess I'll just have to take his word for it. But they're hideous and they don't breathe well."

Dead… I was… dead? "At least he's not making you wear the orange legwarmers," I muttered. The girl's violet eyes found their way back to mine, and she cocked her head, confused. "Ah, I mean… nothing. Spandex never does breathe well," I laughed, waving my hand in the air.

"It is the suit of the springtime of youth," the voice called out again, but it sounded closer. Much, much closer.

"Ahhh, Lee," I said, backing up a few feet from where the Taijutsu user had appeared. His hair was in the same bowl cut as it once was, and his eyebrows were just as bushy, but it didn't look exactly like Lee from 5 years ago. His was, of course, taller and more muscular. His jaw was more pronounced, and his eyes had lost some of their 3 lash silliness. He too was wearing that jumpsuit minus the leg warmers (I wonder why?) and he raised his eye curiously, as if asking…

"How do you know my name?" Nope, he was asking it.

"I got it from the kids. They were calling you Lee-sensei after all," I said, nodding. Lie. That's right. Lie.

He just smiled. "Ah, just as smart as Sakura-san, I see! So tell me, what is your name, since you know of my name?"

"It's Te- Kyaten." I felt my heart pang painfully as he smiled, unaware of the mixup. He didn't even notice, did he? That his teammate was standing before him. That the girl whom he used to make Neji jokes with and walk home was standing before him. But then again, I was dead, so who would guess there was a zombie in Konoha?

"Hello there, Kyaten. What brings you to our training field?"

"Ah! Um… Shikamaru," I said, making it obvious that I was trying to get him to come here, "was with me until now, and I wanted to see some training fields, but he up and vanished, so I'm lost."

"Well, if that is the case, than I shall accompany you to town," he said, smiling again. I felt tears well up in my eyes again. This was going to be bad. Very, very bad. If we started talking, or if things got too nostalgic, I might break down. I might spill all. And that… I couldn't take that, now could I?

"I don't-"

"No, that's fine. I'll take her in. She is my responsibility, after all," a lazy voice said from behind me. I spun around, more happy to see him than ever before. I ran over to him, crying silently, trying to hide the tears.

"Shikamaru! It is nice to see you today. You should not let a girl wonder around on her own, especially if she does not live here. We do not want to set a bad impression on other villages."

Shikamaru put an arm around me, and I kept crying. I realized the impossibility of Lee recognizing me before we came. Heck, I didn't want him to realize it was me, right? I was a walking miracle, right? He shouldn't have realized it was me.

Yet…

And another thing, what the hell was up with me crying so much recently?!

"Yeah, yeah. I would have stuck with her, but I saw one of our deer in the forest, and I figured she would be fine with you for a bit. Well, goodbye. And Lee, please don't make those kids wear those things."

"Goodbye, Shikamaru."

"Bye, Shikamaru-sensei!" I felt him wave to the kids.

The strong arm that had been across my back was now leading me through the woods, and I followed it, the tears slowly coming to a stop. "Sorry about that. I don't know why I'm being so weak…"

"It's hard. I shouldn't have left you alone; especially not when I knew what you were up against. But I really did see one of our deer had escaped, and I hoped you were fine."

"I'm just glad you got me out of there before I cracked." He remained stoic for a minute, letting me catch my composure from the 'incident'. I took another deep breath, steadying myself. I couldn't let myself be this weak; being in a coma was no excuse! If I could just pretend to be strong, act like I had some sanity left, maybe I could stop this stupid crying soon.

"Sorry. How about I take you to dinner? It's not right to leave a woman crying, and we have time."

"Eh?" I said, looking up at him. "I dunno, Shikamaru…"

"Sakura told me to, and I can't go against her." And then he smiled. And it wasn't an annoyed smile, God no. It wasn't the smile Neji used to give me when I did something wrong, or the smile he gave Hanabi when she asked a question he deemed stupid. It was a smile that let me know that maybe there was something going on between the battle strategist and the top medic, and I knew that he didn't mind do what she said. He didn't mind at all. So I agreed. I agreed with a smile, and a pang in my heart, knowing that I would probably never have that. I mean, the odds…?"Good, now she can't kill me, that troublesome woman." But his expression didn't say troublesome.

Ah, being in love.

The trip to the restaurant was short and dull, but I didn't mind. It let me clear my head of all things Lee related, and just relax. Being with Shikamaru was nice. Seeing everyone else, not so nice. Talking with Sakura was fun! Having a conversation with Lee only brought pain. What was up with this? Why was I so screwed up around my actual friends? Was it because I had seen how much they had grown without me?

How much I had… held them back?

The uneasiness that I had come to relate with crying was starting to come back, and I calmed myself knowing that it might have only been Lee I had held back. Maybe, just maybe, Neji was living on the Hyuuga compound as a hermit because of me!

But, I knew he would never do that. In fact, Neji was probably relieved when I 'died.' He was probably happy that he didn't have to watch out for me anymore.

We walked in, took our seat, and Shikamaru ordered for me. I was too deep in thought to really contribute to the conversation, so, as we sat, we talked of trivial things like the upcoming chunin exams and the teams that were coming in this year. He seemed a little more enthused than I remembered him about his job, and in the back of my mind, I wondered why a good ninja like Shikamaru was cooped up in the village, babysitting a coma patient. But the thoghut was pushed out of my mind as soon as I saw his eyes widen and heard him let out a soft, "Damn."

I followed his gaze to the door, and let in a sharp intake of breath.

Standing in the doorway was a white eyed, long haired Hyuuga male who looked to be about, oh, 21, and sent my heart pounding. I stared, my eyes drawn to his still perfect features, hos lean body, his silky hair, his still long robe, his tall and imposing form. I couldn't help it; even after 5 years, I still liked him. He was gorgeous.

"Neji…"


	5. Neji

**Nichole's Note: Hi everyone! Sorry this took me so long… I had to re-write it a few times because Neji seemed out of character to me. I think I finally got him down pack. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Read and review, like always! Thank you, everyone, for all the reviews you've given me for the previous chapters. I love reading them and they make me feel so warm inside. :3333333 8D Enjoy! **

**R&R please! **

"Neji…"

I breathed his name, letting the quietness roll of my tongue. But in an instant, those opaque eyes were staring into my own brown ones, as if he heard me. And knowing him, he probably did.

But that's not what got me. It was the slight sense of recognition than ran through his eyes, and that scared me. Did he realize it was…?

"Ten-"

"Neji-sama," a voice called from behind him. He turned slightly to look at the newest arrival to the restaurant, a beautiful white eyed girl with her hair up in a stylish bun. She slipped her hand through his arm, and then I saw it.

A ring was on her finger. A diamond ring.

I could feel Shikamaru tense up behind me, and I felt my heart drop a million miles per second. Neji looked from his fiancé back to me, and I spun to face Shikamaru. He was looking at Neji, pure anger in his eyes, burning a hole in my former teammate.

"Shikamaru," I whispered, and his gaze was wrenched from the perfection of the Hyuuga couple. The anger immediately faded, and he frowned.

"We can leave. Right now. I'm sure you've had a hard day, Tenten. Seeing… Well, you've had a hard day. Come on." He grabbed my hand, and I looked him in the eyes, the tears that had previously been in my eyes on account of Lee returning quickly.

No. I'm not going to cry. It's been five years; he has a right to move on. Hey, it's not like we were even dating! I just liked him! Unrequited. Right.

Suddenly, Shikamaru's hand was off of my own, and his face was looking upward. I pulled my own hand back, and wiped the tears from my own eyes quickly, sensing something was happening.

"Neji."

"Shikamaru."

My heart raced and I held my breath, knowing Neji was right behind me. I could feel those milky white eyes on the back of my head, and I felt my whole body heat up in protest of his critical gaze. Did he really recognize me? Could he tell that his teammate, who had been in a coma for five years, was sitting right in front of him? Could he see the scar?

"Neji, this is Kyaten. She's here to help out Naruto and some other ninja for a bit."

"Doing what?"

"Classified stuff; she is helping the Hokage."

"ANBU hasn't heard of this. If someone was with Hokage-sama, we would know."

ANBU? Really? He took no time feeling sad for me, did he? His promotion was probably a few months after I got hurt. He probably used the time off for 'emotional reasons' as a way to train so his next mission he could blow the minds of everyone.

"Only the Hokage's personal ANBU guard needs to know. Naruto only has one, and you know he hates to make everyone else worry about him. Also, she's harmless."

I was incredibly glad that my shadow was a genius. He was mentally kicking Neji's ass repeatedly with his quick brain.

"What village is she from?"

"Kirigakure."

I looked up at Shikamaru, confusion coloring my eyes. Were we even on good terms with Kirigakure? And what was he getting at; I couldn't use any water related jutsu. But if Neji bought it, it didn't even matter, did it?

A faint 'Hn,' made the nostalgia of the moment wash over me. I turned to face him, face shining brightly. My eyes studied his face for a second before I spoke, but I saw everything.

His arms were barely visible, but I could see their hard muscles. His body was still as lean as ever; his skin still pale and clear. His hair was long; I couldn't tell whether it was the same length or if it had grown, but it reminded me of his 16 year old self. The steel plated headband still covered up his green scar, the curse mark that hopefully never had been used on him. A light scar traced over his cheek, and I wondered where he got it. His face looked older; his body looked stronger. If it was possible, this man looked more like a god than he did 5 years ago.

His eyes looked colder than I had ever remembered, though.

I stood up, smiling at him. He was taller now. We used to be close to the same height, but now… He towered over me. "Hello! As Shikamaru said, I'm Kyaten. What's your name?"

And as I had expected, the glare was frosty. At least he hadn't changed.

I looked over his shoulder to the beautiful white eyed girl, and back at his face.

Okay. At lease his bitchiness hasn't changed.

"It is inconsequential for you to know my name."

"Then why did you ask for mine?" I said, letting Tenten shine through with a narrowed glare of my own. I could see the small amount of surprise shoot through his face, but it was gone in a second.

"You reminded me of someone. That's all," he said softly, turning away from me and walking back to her.

Shikamaru rested his hand on my shoulder, and suddenly, I became aware of his presence again. Strange; seeing Neji had made me block out every other person in the room for a few minutes. "You wanna go?" the lazy drawl said as we both watched the couple sit down.

"Yes."

"Fine." He placed a handful of money on the counter, and his gentle hand skimmed my arm. "After you, _Kyaten,"_ he said, stressing my name just enough so the Hyuuga's acute ears would pick up on the usage. If Shikamaru slipped up anywhere, Neji would be all over him in a second.

I slid out in front of him, throwing one glance back to my team-… former teammate. I could see the bulging veins on the side of his face, and could faintly hear the girl whisper, '_Neji-sama, turn off your Byakugan. I don't care who you think she is, that is simply unacceptable._' The veins released themselves, and as I walked out of the door, a laugh escaped my lips.

Some weak looking chick had tamed the cold hearted Neji Hyuuga.

Damn it.

"Let's go back to the hospital, Tenten," Shikamaru whispered into my ear as soon as he was sure we were out of earshot.

A small frown formed on my lips. "But I want-"

"No, we're going to the hospital now." His voice was hard and held the air of an order, so I immediately stopped thinking of what we could do next and settled on going back to the hospital.

As soon as I resigned myself to that idea, I became aware of all the wariness that seeing Neji had shaken out of my body. "Hospital sounds fine," I mumbled.

Shikamaru began to pick up the pace as we made our way through the village, which I was starting to think was still too big for its own good. I began to lag behind, my legs not able to keep pace with the shadow manipulator as he sped toward the hospital.

"Tenten," he said, suddenly. "This is going to feel a bit strange, but time is ticking and you're starting to lag." In one swift motion, he had lifted me onto his back and began to run, darting through the crowds.

I wondered why he was so worried right now, but I didn't bother to ask him. I was getting tired, and the faster we got to the hospital, the better. I let my head fall onto his shoulder, and I could feel a faint beating of his heart as he pushed himself toward our destination.

'_This is nice,' _I thought, letting my eyes close. Being carried, I mean. I could count on one hand the number of times someone had lifted me into their arms and carried me somewhere; Lee did it after my futile battle with the blonde headed girl (Tamera or Temari… I felt like I should remember it, but I hadn't dealt with her in so long, my mind had pushed out her name to make way for more pressing matters… Like Neji's fiancée), Shikamaru had carried me to the hospital when I fainted last time, and I'm sure that someone, most likely Lee, had to carry my body from the battle to the desolate Konoha.

The running slowed, and my eyes opened as Shikamaru slipped into the hospital. Sakura was standing at the front desk, talking to the assistant. Her eyes grew large at the sight of me on Shikamaru's back.

"Is she okay? Did she faint? Did something break? What's going on?"

"No time to stop and explain. Walk with me to her room; I have a bad feeling Neji is going to be here any minute."

Realization hit me like a ton of bricks. Of course, Neji thought he saw Tenten back there. That's why he was trying to watch us with the Byakugan and why Shikamaru was so desperate to get me here quickly; he knew Neji would come here directly after the meal with his

Sakura nodded and picked up pace beside him, both of them briskly walking toward my room.

"We saw Neji at the restaurant with Juurii. He recognized her a little bit, I could tell, and you know Neji. He's going to be here any second, demanding to see the bed with Tenten in it. We need to get her changed quickly and in bed before he comes in and blows her secret."

Sakura took it all in. "Tenten… Wouldn't it be easier for Neji to know? I mean… you don't want to keep this a secret forever, do you?"

I buried my head into Shikamaru's shoulder. "No. I… I don't want to ruin whatever life he has now. If he knew I was awake, both he and Lee would be here in a second. They'd both baby me worse than ever and I would have to deal with them growing up and being so much different and I just wouldn't be able to handle it."

Shikamaru placed me on the bed and shot out of the room, saying his goodbyes to both of us. He gave Sakura a kiss, and told her he had to go talk to Naruto right now. He told me that if all went well, he'd see me tomorrow.

"Lee would want to drop his team to stay here with me, because that's just the kind of guy he is," I continued as I changed from my clothes into a hospital gown. "And Neji… Look at how well he's done without me. I don't want them to have to even feel bad they aren't here with me. I can't do that to my team." I pulled my hair out of its long ponytail, and dropped onto my bed.

I looked over at Sakura, who was smiling sadly. "If only you knew," she whispered, and I was about to question her, when her attention was suddenly drawn to the outside. "Play coma!" she said quickly, hurrying out of the door. I pushed my hair out at strange angles, closed my eyes, and relaxed my body.

"Sakura, I want to see her," came his voice from outside of the door somewhere.

"Okay, that's fine. I was going to check on her status, anyway. Who knows, maybe she's woken up?" Sakura said with an easy laugh, but it sounded strained. I'm guessing Neji didn't notice, though, because I could hear the impatient 'Hn.'

My door opened, and my heart beat quickened. With every frantic beat, I could hear the same thing running through my head: He is going to see right through it, he is going to see right through it, he is going to see _right_ through it. I cracked an eyelid to watch Sakura and Neji.

"She's still…" he said, looking down at my limp form.

"Yeah," Sakura said. "Neji, I'm not sure if her condition will ever change…"

He stayed silent, watching me. I could see his face, barely, and it was blank. Completely blank.

"Tch," he mumbled, and turned to walk out the door. I could hear him mumbling something about that Kyaten girl and ridiculous notions. "I can't believe I thought she was going to wake up," he said, looking at the door.

Sakura smiled sadly. "There's still a really good chance that she will wake up, Neji. She's responding almost as if her brain is conscious!"

That was a jab at me, I was sure of it.

He folded his arms across his chest. "You sound more hopeful about her condition than I remember, Sakura."

"It has been three years since you've come to visit, Neji."

"That wasn't by my choice, however," he said coldly, and placed his hand on the handle. "But I am sorry for breaking your rule, Sakura," he concluded, and left.

I waited until I felt secure that he wasn't standing outside of the door, ready to burst in and discover my secret, to sit up and look at Sakura. "What was that all about?" I asked. Rules? And he hasn't come to see me in three years?!

"Neji came to see if the girl-"

"Sakura, please tell me what he meant by rule, and don't give me 'I don't know if I should tell you…' because I want to know."

"I made a rule about three and a half years ago. I told Neji and Lee that they had to get out, they weren't allowed to see you anymore unless I permitted it," Her eyes were drawn from my face to a chart that I suspected was mine and therefore had nothing new on it. "Neji still showed up for a while. Look, Tenten, this might be uncomfortable for you if I continue. Do you really want to know what happened?"

"Yes."

She sighed. "For months, they would come and visit you for days at a time. Neji and Lee… They blamed themselves. Lee kept saying it was his fault because he broke formation first. He would come here and just stare with blank eyes. He stopped wearing his jumpsuit for a long time after you came in; so did Gai-sensei. They would take turns watching you. Lee would bring you a flower every day, and he wouldn't take missions for the longest time. Finally, after a year of this, I told Lee that he needed to get back out into the world. I told him you weren't going to wake up, I told him it was pointless to put his life on hold for who knows how long. He began taking missions again, and even if it was hard, he stopped coming to visit as often. He would still come once he got back from a mission. Well, any time he wasn't on a mission, he would visit. Every day."

She took a breath. "He was just not Lee at all. There wasn't a fire in his eyes. Finally, I forbade him to come back without my permission. He agreed first off. He worked hard, he became a jounin, took on a team. They came to visit you once, last year. He has one of Hinata's cousins on his team, did you know that?" she asked, figuring I didn't.

My mind, however, jumped to the violet eyed girl earlier today. "Yeah. I met her today. I saw Lee today, as well. He didn't recognize me, I don't think."

"That's what you wanted, wasn't it? Anonymity? Anyway, that girl… She's Juurii's little sister. It's funny how the world works, huh?"

"Juurii?" I asked, slightly confused. I had heard that name. Shikamaru had said it.

Sakura looked at me, her green eyes sad. "Juurii is Neji's fiancée," she said quietly. It hit me; the girl from the restaurant. The one with the ring. Oh God, that's right. _Her_ name was Juurii. "Don't be mad at him for doing this, Tenten," the pinkette said quickly. I guess my anger was showing on my face. "Don't be mad because he moved on-"

"Why would I be mad?" I asked, my voice strained but calm.

"I know you liked him. But Tenten, you have to realize… Neji was so much worse than Lee when he brought you back. Oh God, the look on his face… I couldn't stand it. I remember it so perfectly; the village was destroyed and there he stood with your body, covered in blood. His cheek was bleeding furiously, but he wouldn't let me look at it until I had examined you. Luckily, by the time the three of you arrived, things had settled down, but we had no hospital. Neji was furious with himself, with Pein, with anyone within Byakugan distance of himself," she paused, watching me.

"It was lucky that you were with a Gentle Fist user like him when you got hit. Later, Lee told me that once he saw you go down, Neji started ripping through those ninja. The one who had thrown the kunai and hit you was dead within seconds; he was blasting through their bodies like water." I shuddered, thinking of Neji losing his cool. He was powerful, but he held back so much. I almost felt bad for the people who had done this to me for the fate they received.

"According to Lee, Neji was so mad, it looked as though he had iris's, light blue ones. It was very creepy, he said. But after the ninja disappeared, Neji ended up closing all of your chakra points and forcing enough chakra to your brain to save it from shutting down completely. It was an ingenious move, really, I mean, who would have thought the Hyuuga technique could be used that way? Apparently, after fixing you with what little he could, Neji picked you up and ran back here at the speed of light. Lee followed quickly, and they reached Konoha in enough time where Tsunade could stop some of the bleeding and make sure you weren't going to die, but you needed a place to be stabilized. I suggested Sunagakure. Lee and Neji were tired, but they said they had to go with you, make sure you were okay. We took Hinata and you… Gai carried you, and Hinata was carried by Shikaku. I made sure the two of you were okay the whole journey."

"You stayed in the Sand for a few months while Konoha was rebuilt. At around the time the Konoha hospital was finished, Hinata had already gone home. Neji and Lee hadn't returned home since that day, but with their help, we got you back to Konoha safely. It was around that time that I started feeling so bad for them… they blamed themselves. Especially Neji; he kept saying that he should have taken the scroll, he should have stopped the kunai or warned you before it hit. He would sit in your room for hours and talk to you and tell you to wake up. He wanted to quit being a ninja; he told Tsunade that if he could not even protect a teammate, he was useless. Tsunade told him that everyone has had bad things happen on a mission. But she couldn't tell him to get over it; I mean, she spent years being a recluse because of Dan and her inability to save him, how could she be so hypocritical?"

I didn't understand what Sakura meant; I didn't know any Dan or his connection to Tsunade. Sakura continued. "So she let him grieve. He would sit in this room for days on end, talking to you. It got really bad, because one day you opened your eyes and looked at him. I was in the room; we both thought you had woken up. I watched as you put your hand on his and told him it was okay, and then you became unconscious again. You didn't wake up again until a few days ago. But he was so sure that you were going to wake up, that even after I told Lee and him that they were not allowed to come and see you, he would still show up. I got angry, and forcibly threw him out. He was about to yell back, I could tell, but Naruto was Hokage at that point, and he convinced Neji to heed my advice. About a month later, Neji started doing missions again. He poured himself into his work; he would hardly take a day's break in-between missions. He got promoted to ANBU a while ago, started doing much harder missions, exerting more of himself into work. He hadn't come to visit you since I threw him out, I think because he knew how hard it would be.

"About 7 months ago, he got engaged to Juurii, another Hyuuga. She was about as distantly related to him as possible; her mother had been his father's fifth cousin, I think? I don't know, clans that inbreed kind of confuse/freak me out, but it's not really inbreeding, is it? Anyway, he just started going back to normal recently, and then you woke up… So that's why I was supportive when you said you wanted it to be a secret. I know it's bad, but they have just come to terms with this, it feels like. Both of them have accepted your coma, yet here you are. I guess it wouldn't hurt to give them a bit more time, would it?" She smiled, hoping I would agree with her.

I totally did, and I smiled back. "I agree. I don't want to ruin their lives. I can't do that to my teammates. Not after they've been through… all of that. But I have a favor to ask of you."

"Yes?"

"Tomorrow, can I go see Naruto in his office? I want to talk with him about resuming my work. I don't want to be a useless crybaby; I think I've had enough of feeling sorry for myself."

Sakura's eyes grew wide. "But, Tenten, you just said you didn't want them to know you were alive… How would becoming a ninja again not reveal who you are?"

"Who said I was going to be Tenten? No, Kyaten is already thought of to be a ninja who is helping Naruto. Why not have her ask to live in Konoha and do a nation transfer? It wouldn't be a problem, and then I could start life again. I could live as Kyaten in a small apartment, start out as a chuunin, and work my way up. Neji and Lee can't be the only ones who get to move on and be awesome ninja; I want to do it, too."

"But what about Tenten?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Everyone thinks of me as dead, anyway. Why not have an official ceremony?"


	6. The Funeral

**Nichole's Note: IT'S BEEN OVER A MONTH I'M SO SORRY. School just ended last week, and I have been working hard to get this out for you guys while balancing my life too. At the very least, I'm now very worn out and looking forward to the lazy days of summer, which is nice. I'll try and update this story faster now, but I can't make too many promises. I go from school to work, aha (insert sarcasm here).**

**Anyway… I hope you enjoy this new, longish chapter! Review, please? **

I bowed down before the Hokage as he stood before me. The only other person in the room was his personal ANBU guard, whom I decided was Sai; I had called this special meeting and asked for privacy. Naruto obliged.

"Tenten, you are here to officially change your name to Kyaten and be reinstated as a ninja. Is that all?"

"No, sir, but I will wait until this ceremony is over to talk to you about my last request."

"Understood." Naruto was much more mature than I remember him. He was handling this like a real Hokage, and I guess I shouldn't have expected any less of him. "I hereby, by order of the Hokage of Konohagakure, change your name from Tenten to Kyaten. This is official, and all records will show that a foreign ninja named Kyaten applied and was accepted to join the ranks of Konoha as a chuunin. Is this acceptable?"

I kept my eyes glued to the ground, still bowing respectfully. When I was younger, I had read fictitious stories of a land with what was referred to as a King, and when the King wanted to make a brave warrior a ninja, he or she would bow before him, and he would hit his or her shoulder with a golden rod. I was reminded of those stories as I bowed down before Naruto in a similar fashion. All foreign ninja did this as a sign that they pledged allegiance to their new Kage.

"Of course, Hokage-sama."

"Rise." I stood up, and Naruto offered me a shining new headband with the Konoha insignia etched into it on a black piece of material. I took it from him, and tied it around my head for the time being.

"This concludes the official ceremony. Now, what was it that you wanted to ask me?"

I took a deep breath, reciting my request in my head. Sakura said she could provide a good body that would look acceptable to even the most advanced Byakugan. Shikamaru said he and Sakura could get the coffin and convince another medical examiner that I had indeed died of complications from my coma, and that way the report would be official.

"I want to have a funeral… for Tenten," I said uncertainly. Naruto's eyes bulged slightly.

"You want to have a funeral for yourself? You're not even dead!" He grinned, amusing himself with a joke.

Another deep breath. "No, I want Tenten to have a funeral. Kyaten, which is technically who I am now, is still alive and well. Sakura said she could provide an acceptable body of a recently deceased enemy ninja, and with a few minor modifications, it would look just like me. Shikamaru and Sakura said they could get an official report, but they need you to sign off on it and come up with an acceptable time for a funeral."

Naruto's eyes darted to the floor. "Are… Are you sure you want to do this, Te-Kyaten?"

I nodded. "I want to end that part of my life as soon as possible. It's not that I won't miss it, but if Tenten is dead… I won't have to worry quite as much about people discovering me." I believe he noticed the forced smile that suddenly came upon my face.

"Okay. I'll sign off on the papers, make everything look official. Even though I have a feeling that going through all of these hoops isn't make it official for everyone… Just the one person who would need to look." His blue eyes burrowed into my brown ones, and I knew he was talking about Neji.

"Do you blame me?" I asked, shifting uncomfortably under his gaze. "I mean… He charged to the hospital on a hunch. He wouldn't leave my side for years… Naruto…-sama," I added awkwardly, "I do this because I want to give him some kind of closure on this. Thank you for your cooperation in this endeavor."

He mumbled a response, dropping his gaze to the desk. I bowed respectfully once more, and made my way out of the door.

"Thursday," he called out. "The funeral will be Thursday at noon. Lee and Neji will both be in Konoha at that time. That gives Sakura and Shikamaru two days to get everything ready. Can they do it?"

"I don't know, they are only two of Konoha's smartest. They might not make the cut," I smirked looking back at him. He smiled, and rolled his eyes. I continued out, down the hall, toward the village. My new apartment was waiting; Naruto had given me a place that would be paid for by Konoha until I started making enough to support it myself. Sakura and I were to go shopping later on for some furniture, food, and clothes, which is where the last of my savings from 5 years ago would disappear to. Of, some of it. Naruto refused to let my pay for the apartment until I had a steady stream of income, which I personally thought was strange, but I didn't argue.

Self sufficient as I wanted to be, I knew he was doing this out of kindness, and I wasn't going to shove that in his face.

"Why are _you_ here?" a gruff voice asked, drawing me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see Neji- I just keep running into him, don't I- standing in a records room, holding a file. His eyes were squinted into a glare, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.

He was wearing a traditional ANBU outfit- silver ninja vest with a black tank top underneath, gloves continued past his elbow to end a few inches below his shoulder, arm guards, black pants that ended mid calf, and black shoes. What little bit of his leg that would have been exposed was wrapped, and I could see the tattoo on his upper left arm. He wore no headband or hair tie, so his hair fell perfectly around his face. His ANBU mask, some unidentified animal, sat on the counter. Attached to his back was a katana, wrapped with a strip of pink cloth that ended with a slight line of maroon.

"Um… I must have wondered here on accident trying to find my way out. First day without a guide and I get lost in Hokage Manor, ha ha!"I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly as I watched his eyes dart to my new headband.

"So, appointed as a ninja already. Genin, I assume?" He shot at me.

I dropped my hand, frowning. "No. Chuunin, to start off with."

"With a specialization in what? We usually don't allow foreign ninja to transfer, much less transfer as a chuunin rank without qualification." The bitter coldness in his voice made me think of a younger, less accepting Neji that I had once known.

"Weapons mastery. In my old village, I was one of the best. Undefeated in target practice," I said smugly, watching his face move from shock to a very frosty glare. He brushed past me, slipping the mask he had picked up over his face. I glanced down at the file he had been reading; it was a file on a rogue group from the Cloud.

The group that we had fought the day I was injured.

"Are you coming, or are you going to stand in the records room all day looking like an idiot?" he asked from behind me.

I spun around, confused as to what he was asking. "Huh?"

"I'm offering to show you the way out. Are you coming, or are you going to stay in here all day?"

"Uh... I'm coming!" I volunteered, running for a second to take my place next to him. We walked in an uncomfortable silence. I hated not being able to see his expression. Not that he was all too expressive when we were teammates, but I had come to understand the slightest change in his facial features for emotions.

We walked straight to the door leading toward the outside world. "Er, thanks," I said.

"Don't mention it," he said monotonously. I began walking outside, but he spoke, and his voice made me freeze to the spot I stood. "You say you're a weapons master with amazing accuracy? I know a girl who could beat you, no problem. I'd like to see you try her," he said smugly as I turned around.

"Maybe you should introduce us sometime- my skill is unrivaled, and I can't wait to prove that to you."

He just continued walking down the hallway, destination unknown to me. But something very peculiar struck me about his back, specifically his sword. The piece of cloth that was wrapped around it?

I suddenly realized it was from one of my shirts.

"Neji!" I called, but he was already gone. I pivoted on my heel, and marched down the steps of Hokage Manor. I was in somewhat of a stupor; he complimented me. Without knowing it, obviously, but he c_omplimented _me. And not only that, oh no, he even kept a memento of me with him every time he donned his ANBU uniform!

Oh geeze, this funeral is going to kill him.

'_Closure, Tenten. This will give him closure. Remember that… He and Lee need to know you're dead. You need to go tell Sakura to call off this whole- I mean, prepare the body._'

I was heading toward Sakura's apartment. I was going to tell her how everything went in the meeting, what time the funeral was, and then we were going shopping. "Oi, Sakura!" I said, banging on the door. "Are you in there? I'm done with my meeting." I waited for a few seconds, hearing rustling sounds from inside the apartment.

"Kyaten!" Sakura said, throwing the door open. Her hair was slightly messy, she wore no makeup whatsoever, and she was still in what I guessed to be her pajamas. Sakura was definitely a lot less organized on her day off than in the hospital. "I hope everything went well? Did he approve the request?" She pulled me inside, and told me to sit on the couch while she got dressed. "Tell me everything that went on! I can hear you from inside my room!"

"Everything went well," I said, my hand drifting up to my forehead protector. "My name is changed, and I am officially a chuunin of Konoha. Naruto said that if I do well on the next few missions he gives me, I'll move up to a specialized jounin. It's weird being 21 and being behind people who are younger than I am, but I'll deal. He told me before the official ceremony started that I could help out with the chuunin exams as a proctor. That might be kind of cool."

I looked around her apartment as I spoke. The few pictures in her home were of Shikamaru, Ino, Naruto, Sai, and all of the other 'Rookie Nine'. The furniture was neat, but the table near the kitchen (and many of the kitchen counters) was covered in papers. It seemed like Sakura stayed in Konoha a lot.

"The funeral is going to be Thursday. I hope that gives Shikamaru and you time to prepare everything. I'm still sorry for putting the two of you through all of this-"

"Oh, it's not problem whatsoever!" Sakura said, walking into the room. "We have to convince one of the smartest people I know that his teammate is dead. It will take a lot. You needed experts."

"What, you've done this before?" I joked, smiling.

She laughed out loud, and then shook her head. "Nah, you're my first fake dead person. Well, I'm prepared to go shopping. We can stop by your house and let you change and leave your headband at your apartment, if you'd like."

I nodded. "Yeah, that'd be great." She nodded, and we walked out of her apartment. My new home was only two complexes down from hers, so in no time at all, I was changed and ready to head off into the world of clothes, furniture, and food. We walked down the roads of Konoha, heading toward the shopping district.

"So I saw Neji today," I said awkwardly before we reached any stores. Sakura stopped suddenly, and grabbed my arm. Her eyes were wide.

"In… in his ANBU uniform?" she asked quietly.

"So you knew about what was on the sword?" I asked, searching her eyes. The emerald irises dropped their gaze to the ground, and I knew my answer before the quiet "Yes" escaped her lips. It didn't bother me as much as it should have, though. So what if she knew? It's not like she can force him to pretend I don't exist. "It's okay, Sakura. I still want to go through with this whole façade. He needs closure to get on with his life and begin his new one with his… well, that girl." I ended.

Her lips pressed together, and then formed a smile. "You don't want to hurt him, right? It's so sweet of you to think of him like this. You must really love him, Te-Kyaten." I could tell that what she said was just the product of an overactive, romance addicted imagination. Sakura was just seeing the side of it that could fill the pages of a sappy romance story.

"Can we just get on with this shopping trip, please?" I asked gently, ignoring her comments altogether. She let go of my arm, and took up her place on my right. It took a few minutes for the awkward fog I had created to disappear, but slowly it dissipated. Sakura pulled me into a clothing store with a huge grin on her face, and I knew that it was going to be fine.

Hours later, we emerged from another clothing store. "Ah, what a productive day, don't cha think? I mean, all those clothes and all that pretty furniture! Your apartment is going to be amazing. You're going to look amazing. I can't wait!" She was dancing around with the bags in her hand, smiling and giggling.

I, on the other hand, was exhausted. Sure, I like shopping. It's nice to go and see what's new. But this… this was just ridiculous. I was laden with bags, and the furniture was arriving at my apartment tomorrow.

"I'm beat," I admitted as she gracefully bounced up the sidewalk. Sakura looked at me, tilting her head slightly, and then grinned.

"Home, then. You're going to stay at my place tonight, right? Since you don't have any furniture yet…" I nodded slowly, and she smiled, her teeth shining. I could almost hear the 'ping' that usually accompanied Gai-sensei and Lee's full mouth smiles. "This is going to be great! Since I don't have to work early tomorrow and you won't get a mission for the next few days," she said, causing me to throw her a strange glance. "I'm going to need to have you with me when I change the body so I don't make a mistake," she explained. "Anyway, we should have a girl's night! I can get Ino to come over and it will be amazing."

A girl's night… I was faced with uncertainty. I mean, I had not had a girl's night. Ever. Usually that was reserved for girls with other close girl friends. My two closest friends were male. And when we went on missions, I had to spend the night (or nights) with them. We did not stay up all night chatting about boys and doing each other's hair, or watching a movie and eating junk food. We slept as little as possible and thought about the mission at hand. Sakura seemed incredibly happy, and I owed her more than a lot. This was the least I could do.

But I was tired. Sleep, or making the woman who was helping me fake my funeral happy. Hmmm… "Sure, Sakura, we should have a girl's night!" I agreed. "But I warn you, I'm tired. So if I fall asleep, don't be mad?"

"Of course not, Kyaten. We're only probably going to watch a movie… despite my day off, I'm still a bit worn from the hospital." Sakura stopped, then, and walked into a store that clearly said 'Closed'. I opened my mouth for a second, but suddenly the name of the store stuck out. "Hey, pig, come on. We're having a girl's night tonight."

"Why?" the high pitched answer came. "Did Shikamaru do something stupid? Or did you do something stupid that he pointed out, which was a stupid move by him?"

"No," Sakura called back. "The new ninja girl, the one who's been hanging around with Shikamaru recently, is officially a Konoha ninja and she's staying at my place before her furniture arrives. I decided it would be fun to have a girl's night with her."

"Oh my God, you mean the brown headed one? What's she like? I mean, I met her one day," Ino said, getting closer and closer to us. "She seems nice. But who knows… Why did she leave her last village? Love problems? Angry villagers? Did Naruto scout her out? I've heard that she was an assassin hired by… She's here." Ino was suddenly in the doorway behind the counter, her face turning red. She was holding a small bag with a pant leg sticking out in one hand, and a movie in the other. "You could have told me she was here."

"I could have," Sakura agreed.

I watched the grin erupt on Sakura's face, and Ino turned to face me. "Hi, Ino," I said, waving. "I'm Kyaten, it's nice to meet you. And no, I'm not an assassin."

The rest of the night was incredibly uneventful as opposed to my imaginations of a girl's night. We watched some sappy romance movie about two ninja from warring villages that fell in love during an assassination attempt. As it turns out, the woman who was the assassin was actually the princess from the village the man was battling for that had been kidnapped years before and turned into a war machine. His love saved her, and she claimed her rightful place as the ruler. They lived happily ever after. Like I said, sappy.

But that didn't stop any of us from completely getting into it. All three of us bawled our eyes out as the male warrior collapsed in front of the princess. He had saved her from an incoming weapon, and almost died.

And we all teared up when she was ready to take the throne, and the elders declared she could have no lover they did not approve of. When it all worked out in the end, we were crying, and discussing the hotness factor of the lead actor.

"He has that strong and dedicated look about him," Ino said wistfully. "It made him look like the hot protector."

"And his eyes!" Sakura commented. "Geeze, if Shikamaru had eyes like that, I'd never leave his side. _Ever_," she added for dramatic effect.

I yawned as they discussed, and stretched out on the couch that would make my bed for the night. My eyelids struggled to stay open, and slowly I found myself falling asleep…

It was a bright and sunny day on Thursday, despite the somber mood I was in. I was attending my own funeral to give closure to a man that may or may not be in love with me but is engaged to someone who happens to be a beautiful Hyuuga. The least the Konoha weather could do was be rainy. Or cold. Or _not so damn cheerful._ That would be nice.

My apartment was very well furnished now. Sakura was right; it did look amazing. And the clothes we had snagged on our day of shopping were nice, too. I felt kind of strange, having so many actual outfits. But none for the occasion at hand.

I had been struggling for two days now, wondering if I should attend my own funeral.

The morbid curiosity inside of me raged. What would people say? Would a large crowd attend? Would anyone cry? I wanted to go.

But then again, what if no one really missed me? What if they knew I was going to die?

I couldn't do it.

In the end, I let my curiosity win. I couldn't help it, really; there was no fighting my wonderings. I slipped on a blue top with a black design on it, and some black pants. I didn't want to look as though I was attending my own funeral.

I set out of my apartment, heading into the marketplace below to poke around a bit and then leave for the event. It was going to start soon, but I just couldn't show up out of the blue like that. I was just going to stroll by, gage the sad levels of everyone there, and book it out. I walked around the vendor stands, pretending to be interested, but my anxiety was building. Everyone would know it was me; everyone would be able to see that I was Tenten. The dead girl would be found walking!

A certain fire coursed through my step as I headed to where the small funeral was already being held. I slipped my way in and out of people in the streets, desperate to see, scared to be found. I found the small gathering near the cemetery quickly enough, but it was ending. I had a good view from the side. I could see a few people I knew, a few ninja I had been on missions with. Ino stood next to Sakura, who was crying, but I knew it was just a show. Shikamaru stood next to her, stoic as usual. Naruto was there, his eyes betraying no emotion. I saw Hinata, who was very noticeably pregnant, with Kiba by her side.

Her husband, I realized. Neji and Lee stood by the small shrine, with a picture of me smiling. I recognized that picture; it had been taken a few months before the accident. The part that had been cropped showed Neji and Lee, with my arms around one of their shoulder… Lee was laughing with me, and Neji had been smiling faintly. We had just got done with training, and I had been falling down when I reached up to steady myself. I ended up pulling the thing I was steadying myself against, Neji, down with me. When Lee went to pick the both of us up (I was laughing quite hard at the point and I refused to let Neji up on his own), he started laughing. Gai-sensei, in one of his youthful fits, had decided to buy a new camera that was apparently portable. He snapped the picture.

A tear rolled down my cheek at the memory. Gai-sensei was at the funeral, too, stricken with sadness. _'Way to ruin his youthful vibe, Ten,_' I thought to myself. Why did I have to be so damn stubborn? So what if they would treat me like a child for the rest of my life, I can't hurt-

Wait. No. I couldn't deal with being babied for the rest of my life.

The people were slowly leaving the funeral now. Soon, the only people left were Neji and Lee. They stood there, looking at the picture, not saying a thing. Gai-sensei had left just moments before, urging the two men to take their leave, as well. I could see the words mouthed in the air. Yet, they still stood.

Suddenly, I felt my legs move on their own accord. I walked up into the empty clearing, and watched them from behind. Both of the ninja turned to face me in an instant.

"It's you," both of them said at the same time. Lee sounded surprised at my appearance. Neji growled the words. I waved, and made my way up toward them.

"Do you mind?" I asked quietly, motioning toward where they stood. Neji opened his mouth, but Lee cut him off.

"Not at all," he said, his voice raw but friendly. He had been crying, but not his usually ridiculous tears. Just silent, sad ones.

I stepped onto the platform, and walked over to the picture of me. "Was she a good friend of yours?" I asked.

Lee nodded in silence. I turned to Neji, who was just staring at me. Slowly, his eyes drifted to the photo, which I suddenly stood in front of. "She was close to you too, huh?"

He narrowed his eyes, but nodded. "Lucky girl," I said, smiling.

"You remind me of her in a way. Your looks, at least," Lee said. "I haven't been able to shake the feeling since I first met you…"

"Kyaten." I finished his sentence, and he smiled apologetically. "It's fine… I have an easily forgettable name and a face that reminds everyone of a woman they once knew," I said. "Shikamaru told me the other day that something about my face reminded him of his mother; he said that my eyes were dark and determined, just like hers."

Lieeeeee. Outright lie.

"Why are you here?" Neji asked. It was the first time we had spoken since the day I had seen Naruto.

"I had been staying with Sakura until my apartment was ready, and she mentioned it. She seemed pretty upset about the death of the kunoichi. I was just curious," I responded. "She must have been the girl who you wanted me to meet, right, Hyuuga-san?"

His eyes widened as he remember our conversation. "How did you know?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well, in the picture, I can see a few scrolls that look very familiar, and her weapons pouch is packed," I noted. "Plus, Sakura said something about her abilities when I asked about her. I'm… sorry for your loss," I said. "So very sorry. She seems very important to both of you."

Neji turned his face downward so I couldn't see his eyes, but I watched as his mouth pressed into a hard line. "She was. She really... was."

Lee smiled sadly. "It's not your fault, Kyaten."

If only he knew.


	7. Saving Sakura

**Nichole's Note: Okay, sorry for the long update. It's taken me a while to write this one out of pure summer laziness… My bad! Also, I'm going to apologize in advance for the random addition of a problem and the immediate fixing of it… it was going to stretch out for a while, but I decided that you guys deserved an update and I'd rather get to writing the romantic stuff sooner. (Sorry if I seem a bit out of whack, I'm pretty tired right now.)**

**Also, sorry if the chapter seems out of whack, as well. I wrote it while, imagine that, slowly descending into sleeplessness. Anyway, hope you enjoy regardless of the flaws. Just know I'm writing the next chapter as we (you) speak (read)! REVIEW PLEASE?**

I'm not going to lie:

I was bored.

There was no way to get around that fact. Naruto was seemingly refusing to allow me on any missions for a while, so I was stuck in Konoha, working a part time job at a local weapons store. I thought it would be a good fit for me, and the boss was more than impressed with my knowledge of all of the weapons that had been around for more than five years.

When he asked why I was unfamiliar with the newer editions, I simply told him that in my old village, we were a little behind on the weapons times, but I was definitely ready to learn, which was not a lie. Mostly not a lie.

The only thing about working in a weapons shop is that most ninja already had good weapons to fight with. They only needed to restock on kunai every once in a while, or maybe browse, if they had a day off that was really dull. Which meant that is was incredibly slow in the store.

"Well, Kyaten, I'm going to take the rest of the day off," my manage said, grinning as he walked toward the front door. When I had asked to be employed, he was shocked. Hardcore confused. No one wanted a part time job here, and he hadn't had a day off without closing the store in a long, long time. It was part of the reason, I think, that he hired me so quickly without too many questions.

I smiled. "You sure you trust me to close the shop by myself?"

"You're a ninja of Konoha, you're trustworthy," he replied. "Anyway, I have some things to get done, and since you have the day off tomorrow, I think I should get them done today." I just nodded as he walked out the door.

I was, in fact, taking the day off tomorrow. I had an appointment with my doctor, who insisted that I come for a "You were released from the hospital three weeks ago!" checkup to see if everything was working properly as it should.

"Back to being alone and bored again," I mumbled, propping my chin in my hand as I slumped over the counter. And I did not want to be alone. Sure, it wasn't too bad, getting things straight and meditating. But whenever I was alone now, my mind usually turned to things I would rather not think about.

Like coma's.

Or Lee.

Or death.

Or Neji.

Or marriage.

And as much as I hate to say it, those were the things that seemed to plague my mind. My coma, or Lee's sad face, or my funeral, or Neji (really, thinking about Neji was beginning to get easier), or the woman he was going to marry (which then made thinking about Neji a pain in my ass).

So, as I tried to keep my mind off of my five usual trains of thought, I began to count the weapon's racks. And the ceiling tiles. And the seconds. Anything to keep my mind off of everything.

Time was refusing to speed up as I stood alone in the shop. In fact, I think it slowed down, just to spite me. To laugh at me and say "Ha, you avoided me for five years, I must now antagonize you."

"Damn you, time," I muttered. I heard the sound of footsteps and the opening and closing of a door, and immediately looked up.

"Um, excuse me…" came the quiet voice. A young girl, about 11 or 12, was standing in front of the counter, staring me in the eye.

I knew this girl from somewhere…

She was a Hyuuga, most definitely. Where had I seen a young Hyuuga like her recently…? Her voice reminded me of Hinata, but the way she held herself reminded me of someone else. Not Neji, but…

_Juuri._ This was the girl on Lee's team. Juuri's sister.

"Can I help you?" I asked cheerfully.

She nodded. "I wanted to get something special for my sister's fiancé. He's been pretty off for the past few weeks, even if he tries to hide it and Juuri can't tell. His former teammate… You probably don't want to hear this," she said nervously, like she was afraid she was boring me with details of some unknown guy.

"Oh, it's fine. People and their stories have always interested me," I assured her. "What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know. He's primarily a Taijutsu user, and relies heavily on his Byakugan. He already has a sword…"

"How about some kunai or shuriken? A ninja can never have too many."

She shook her head, dismissing the sales pitch. "He always has a hoard of them. I have no idea where he got them, but it's ridiculous."

"If he has enough weapons, why buy him another one?" I asked curiously.

She sighed. "He… As long as I have known him, he likes collecting weapons. It's not like he uses many of them, but he enjoys having them. His collection is small, since he doesn't actually buy any weapons other than kunai and shuriken, but if someone gives him one, it goes into his collection. He keeps it in a scroll with "Heaven" written on it."

I just nodded, my mind slowly being blown out by her story.

"If you want, you could just choose some random weapons, and I could wrap them up for you," I said in a daze.

"Anything?"

"Anything you can afford," I responded, snapping out of my amazement. The girl smiled, and began to walk around the shop.

It was a good thing the shop wasn't too big, so I could see her walking around as I stood behind the counter. She seemed incredibly interested in all of the weapons, and it looked like she was having a hard time, but she was enjoying herself.

"I guess this must be a strange thing for you," she finally said as she chose a few weapons from the racks and displays. "I mean, it's not every day that someone comes in here asking for a weapon to cheer someone up."

"I don't know. I like weapons. The metal, the lethalness… I can see how they could make someone feel better," I offered. She turned to me, a smile evident on her face.

"See, you understand! Juuri… she's not a ninja. She doesn't get how great a weapon can be. She doesn't approve of Neji's weapon's collection. She just doesn't understand why he devotes himself to stopping evil ninja. Sometimes…" she said, walking toward the counter with a good number of weapons, "I wonder how they can even pretend to get along for the council. If I was Neji, I would have told them I couldn't stand her a long time ago."

I took the weapons from her hands, and rang up the price. As she got out her wallet, I looked at her, curious. "Your sister and her husband-"

"Fiancé," she corrected absentmindedly as she dug through the wallet for the amount.

"Okay, so your sister and her fiancé don't get along? Why get married, then?"

"The council decreed it. The current leader of the house decided that Neji was a more mature leader than his two daughters, and tried to convince the council to change the line of succession. At first- Wait, why are asking?" she asked suspiciously as she dropped the money onto the counter.

"No reason," I lied, slipping the money into the cash register. "I just can't imagine being forced to marry someone you don't like. From what I can see from your cousin, he seems pretty headstrong and confident. Why would he let others boss him around?"

"You know Neji?" the girl asked, astonished.

I began putting the weapons into a bag that the manager kept underneath the counter for rare occurrences like these. "I've met him a couple of times. He seems kind of arrogant."

"That's Neji," she said with a smile. "Anyway, the reason they are forced together is the council decreed that Neji had to marry within the clan to be considered the leader of the clan."

My heart sank when I heard this. I knew that he had always wanted, in a small place in his heart, to be the head of the Hyuuga clan. To defeat the accident of birth that led him to become a Branch member. But the only way he can achieve this is to be… unhappy.

I handed her the bag with a small smile. The girl took the bag, and smiled sheepishly.

"There was another reason for me coming here…" she said, staring at the floor. Suddenly, all of the resemblance to Juuri was gone. Everything about her reminded me of Hinata. "I wanted to thank you."

"For…?"

"Ever since… ever since you met Lee-sensei a couple weeks ago, he seems… happier. Not that it's easy to tell, as he's always happy and going on about youth and all this mess. But he's not forcing us to do 1000 push-ups if we can't do 100 squats anymore. And he's not making us wear the green spandex with the weights at out waist. He's begun to train us more toward our abilities, and teamwork, not just Taijutsu."

I smiled, wider this time. "You're welcome. Even if I didn't mean to, I'm glad you're happier…?"

"Niiro," she added helpfully. "But that's not all," she said. "He's begun to wear these ridiculous orange leg warmers. He says it's in remembrance of a dead teammate, but he began wearing them almost the day after we met you. So I want to thank you for the weapons and making Lee-sensei relax. Goodbye…"

"Kyaten. My name is Kyaten."

"Goodbye Kyaten."

"Goodbye, Niiro."

The girl bowed, and then walked gracefully out of the store carrying her bag. I just watched her exit, my mind racing from the information she gave me. Did Lee know? The leg warmers… was he keeping them off for me? I guess he put them back on for my death, but if what she said was true, then why would he put them on the day after…

What does this mean?

And Neji! My heart panged painfully at the thought of his situation. I bit my lip, returning to my previous posture of hunching over the counter.

Hmph, I fake my death to get away from my two teammates and try to live my own life, and yet I keep on thinking of them and their problems. I guess I just have issues when it comes to Neji and Lee… I'm never going to be able to put them into my past.

The hours passed with no other customers, save for a strange little boy who kept sniffling and staring at me in a strange, awkward way. He announced himself as Udon, and then proceeded to sneeze on me and run out of the shop.

I was more than glad to get home, take a shower, and go to bed.

After all, I had an appointment to go to, and a question that has been nagging me to ask Sakura.

The morning was bright and soft, as usual. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, yada yada. I made my way down the mostly empty streets of the village, knowing exactly where I was going. The path to the hospital had been one of the first routes I memorized after moving into my new place. Followed by the shop, Hokage Manor, and a few other places that I had begun to feel at home in.

"Good morning, Sakura," I said cheerfully to the medic as I sat down on the check up bench… thing… Sakura just stared at me, her eyes screaming for sleep. She must have pulled another all-nighter again. Trying to help more people while putting herself at risk.

"So, how are you feeling?"

"Quite cheerful, ac-" the look on her face told me to stop with the jokes. I laughed sheepishly. "Fine. Nothing seems to be out of whack. Everything works like it should. My muscles get sore when I train for long periods of time. I don't pass out, unless I'm just incredibly tired, and then it's more of a conscious decision. My eyes are fine, my hearing is fine, taste is fine…"

Sakura was no longer paying attention to my ramblings. She was busy testing my reflexes and looking for something in my ears. She checked up on my scar, made sure there were no new holes forming back there.

"Hey, Sakura," I said as she flipped through her clipboard. "I have a question for you that's been bugging me for a while…"

"Shoot," she said, still slipping and marking my information.

"Why don't you ever leave the village? I mean, it seems like you're here, all the time. And so is Shikamaru, and Ino, and a lot of people."

Sakura didn't look up. "Naruto is very… protective of us, I guess. When Sasuke died, he made the decision not to let me go out of the village anymore. At first, I hated that. But then I began to find my place at the hospital and now I don't think I'd be able to take a day off for a mission unless he specifically asked me to. Everything here… the patients, the doctors… they need me. I get assigned to long term patients because of my inability to leave the village. I don't mind at all," she said with a small, fake smile.

I swung my leg, watching as it went up and down very slightly. "Why don't you just leave? I mean, can he really stop you?"

She paused now, and looked up at me. Her usually bright green eyes were now empty and sad. I felt a burst of guilt take over my whole being. Geeze, I can't do anything without upsetting someone these days, can I?

"Yeah, he probably could. He does it because he thinks it's what's best. Shikamaru comes up with the best strategies of anyone, and so Naruto says he can't lose that kind of intelligence. I'm very gifted in the medical field, and very useful to the hospital. So I can't exactly put myself at risk. Ino is his girlfriend, he wouldn't be able to stand it if she got hurt while he was sitting behind a desk. Hinata is pregnant, and once she has her child, she won't be able to go on a mission. Kiba isn't allowed to leave until the child is born. Lee is only allowed to go on very easy mission because he has a genin team. Chouji has his clan t think of, and Naruo doesn't want him to leave his ailing father. You could relapse at any moment. Only people like Neji, Shino, and Sai are allowed to go on real missions anymore. Well, Neji and Shino, at least. Sai is cooped up with Naruto all day long."

Sakura sighed, and her eyes drifted away from me, and I watched as she began to play with the pen in her hand. The clipboard lay forgotten on the table next to her. Her legs were crossed. The hand not holding the pen was supporting her cheek. She looked… depressed… trapped. Like this life wasn't exactly what she wanted when she became a ninja. Or when she trained under Tsunade to save lives. As if it wasn't what she imagined would happen when Naruto took the position of Hokage.

I felt terrible for her.

"He tries to rationalize his selfishness with unselfish reasons. He looks at the people he wants to protect, all of his friends, and he thinks that the best way to protect us is to keep us here. I know that when Sasuke was killed, it took a big part of Naruto's confidence with it. He wanted to be able to save his best friend, and yet... he couldn't. Now he wants to 'save' all of us, like that will bring Sasuke back. I don't know.

"I just know that I miss the thrill of being on a mission. I miss the team work, I miss the sense that I'm helping to stop bad things. I see these ninja younger than me in the emergency rooms, hear their story, and my first thought is 'Shikamaru probably could have come up with a solution if he were there,' or 'Kiba would have been able to stop that.' I know Naruto has good intentions along with his selfish reasons, but I hate that our experience is being wasted. Being a ninja is a hard life, huh, Tenten?"

I smiled.

"Ah, well, I guess that's it. You seem to be doing fine, Ten. Just remember, if anything feels off, ever, do not hesitate to come running. I promise, I'll be somewhere in this blasted village."

"Unless you've run off, of course."

"Of course!" she replied with a giggle.

I jumped off the seat, and walked toward the door. My head was filling with an idea, and every step I took just seemed to strengthen it.

"Hey, Doc, when is your next day off?"

"Hmmm… actually, it's supposed to be today. Why?" I could feel Sakura's eyes on my back as I stood there, hand on the knob.

"Because… I want you to come with me to Naruto's office. I want to request a mission, and I want you to come with me. You know, as a medical supervisor to my condition."

I peeked over my shoulder, and the first thing I saw was the medic's bewildered expression.

"Ten, that is not going to work. Naruto will not buy that. And if he does, he most certainly will not let you go if there is any sign of your condition."

"He promised me that I would become a jounin eventually. There is no way to do that unless I go on missions. And you, my friend, are coming with me."

Sakura just smiled.

"No, absolutely not. I will not let you do this!" Naruto said, looking between Sakura and I. Sakura had told the attending nurse she was leaving for some well needed rest, and then came here with me.

"Naruto, she does need to go on a mission to earn the jounin title, and I don't want her to go without supervision!"

"Then I will give her the title of jounin! Neither of you needs to leave and put yourself into unneeded danger, okay?" Naruto's blue eyes were blazing with fury. Sakura was right when she said that he was quite set on everyone staying in the village.

My mouth fell open. "I will not just take it, I needed to earn the title of jounin! Just like Neji and Lee did! And if Sakura says there is a possible problem with my health, then I don't see the problem! She is a capable ninja, or have you forgotten that?"

Naruto's glare sent shivers down my spine, but I kept on staring at him with narrowed eyes.

"I have not forgotten hoe capable of a ninja she is, but she is also an asset in the hospital, as well," he spit out.

"There are other doctors. Your girlfriend is also quite capable, if I remember correctly," Sakura said. Out of the three of us (not including the ever present Sai), she was definitely the most calm. "Look, Naruto, I want to go. I can't take being cooped up any longer, understand? What happened with Sasuke wasn't your fault, and it was most certainly not my fault. You don't need to punish everyone for his mistake."

In an instant, Naruto's hard glare and angry demeanor left him. "You really want to go?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, and I'm not the only one," Sakura said. "Ino, Kiba, Shikamaru… We're all dying to get back out and start helping again."

The Hokage sat in his chair, hat dropped over his face.

Sakura and I stood in front of him for what felt like hours. Finally he lifted his head, looked at Sakura, and said, "Fine. I have a few missions that I could use some people with experience, anyway," he said, smiling.

Sakura broke out into a huge grin. "Really?" she asked. Naruto nodded, happy to see his formoer teammate happy.

"Yay!" I said. Naruto turned to me, frowning.

"Nu-uh, Kyaten," he said. "You, however, are going to be sticking around in this village for a little bit longer." He was smiling, and I knew it was his way of getting back at me for yelling at him. "I hear you are just ever so helpful in the weapons shop," he said, a foxy grin adorning his face.

"Whatever you say, Boss," I muttered. As long as Sakura was feeling better, I knew that I had done something right.

And anyway, if she were gone, I would finally be able to train without having someone come and collect me. (Sakura had been making sure I didn't go past my limits.)

I walked out of the room, and I heard a very faint, "Thank you, Naruto," from Sakura as I shut the door.

Sakur followed me out in a minute, and smiled. Her eyes lit up. "Thank you, Kyaten," she said happily. "That's the first time I've ever bothered to confront Naruto about this problem. It just sucks that we came here for you, too, and yet you're still unable to leave," she said.

"It's no problem. I deserve the punishment after speaking like that to my Hokage. I'm just glad Naruto's a lot more lenient than someone like, oh, you would have been. He'll give me a mission soon enough."

Sakura surprised me by giving me a quick hug.

"Thanks again, Kyaten," she said. "I'll be leaving for a mission with Shikamaru tomorrow morning, apparently. I have to go collect my lazier half and get the details. It'll be nice to leave again," she murmured.

"I do what I can," I replied jokingly.

"Oh, and in case you wanted to know, a certain boy will be off all next week due to his cousin's due date. Just in case you wanted to know."


	8. Training Grounds

**Nichole's Note: Okay, so it's been over a month. I know, I know, I'm horrible! But don't worry, school is starting soon. That means the end of all these 'family drags Nichole away to some crazy trips' and all my laziness. So I hope that I'll be able to update sooner next time. Sorry for any mistakes that I might make, I don't have a beta, and so I rely mostly on myself and sometimes Rai and her friend. If you see something huge, please point it out to me! Hope you enjoy!**

**Read and review, please?**

"Why Sakura thinks I would have ever needed to know that, I cannot fathom," I muttered, tingeing red at the thought of her last comment to me. The kunai I had thrown landed perfectly in the red and white target.

Really, it had been on my mind since she and Shikamaru had departed five days ago. Ino, who had become a friend since our first girl's night, had left three days ago with Chouji and Shino on a mission, as well. And so I was left in Konoha without a friend, and the thought that one of the cutest men I know was in town, free, all week.

God, Sakura just loves to torture me.

My face became warmer as I threw another kunai into the post. Just thinking of Neji was beginning to drive me insane.

"I blame this all on you, you stupid medic Sakura," I said through gritted teeth. Another sharp, pointed object slammed into another target, splitting the wood considerably. "You with your warnings, and your ridiculousness, and your over romantic mind!" I jerked the weapons out, and returned to my place, ready to re-throw them.

Until, of course, a noise from the forest distracted me.

I twisted around to see Neji walking calmly into the clearing, and my eyes widened in horror. Suddenly, the reason that I had come here snaked its way into my memory; this was where the two of us used to train. Sure, it was missing quite a few trees, but I would know it anywhere.

Oh crap oh God oh shit oh someone help me.

Neji looked up, his white eyes quickly finding my face. He looked like he was just shaken out of a train of thought at the sight of my face, and I have to admit, the look suited his face well.

"I'm sorry, Hyuuga-san," I apologized. "I didn't think anyone else would come out here."

"It is quite hard to find," he agreed with a raised eyebrow. "And you can call me by my name, Kyaten," he said. He muttered something that I didn't catch, but I didn't look at him long enough to catch the expression that went along with it.

My face was beginning to redden again, I just knew it. I needed to get my emotions in check. It was only Neji. It was only Neji. I've known him since we we're kids in the academy and I've had a crush on him since then.

"Do you mind if we train together?" he asked monotonously. "It's been a while since I've worked with someone who can throw numerous weapons at once and have them all hit the target."

How did he know I could do that? "No, it's fine Hyu- Neji. I would be glad to train with you. Your younger cousin told me that you were a master in taijutsu," I said, turning around with a smile on my face.

"You met Hinata-sama?" he asked, confused.

I just stared at him for a moment. Hinata…? Why would he think that I meant Hinata? "Uh, no, a younger girl named Niiro came into a weapons shop that I work at…" I explained.

The confusion dissolved off of his face, and it was replaced with a smile. "Yes, well, Niiro overestimates my abilities sometimes," he said warmly.

"If I may ask, Neji, who is Hinata?"

His white eyes met mine, and for a moment, I thought he was seeing through my masquerade. I just knew that he knew who I was. God, it was so obvious! What was I thinking? I mean, I know I've thought this way before and he didn't see through it but still! He was going to see through it this time, I just knew-

"Hinata-sama is also my younger cousin. Due to the child she is bearing, she has been spending almost all of her time in the household since before your arrival."

So that's why he was curious about Hinata. I shouldn't know her. "Ah." The silence between us stretched into the uncomfortable awkward zone, and I shifted from foot to foot.

"Shall we begin?" he asked. I just nodded, afraid to make the awkward quiet come back to haunt us. I recognized his stance instantly and could almost hear his silent words as the veins popped up around his eyes.

I slipped my hand into my back pocket, pulling out a small scroll that I had bought recently and filled with some of my favorite weapons. I also grabbed two kunai, throwing one at him immediately.

As I predicted, he dodged quickly. I could tell he wasn't using his full speed by any means; he, too, was testing me. Except I doubted he was testing me to see how much better I had gotten in his absence.

The other kunai flew from my hand as I bit into my thumb, letting out a small prick of blood. In a flash, I unhinged the thin bind and the blood trailed over the paper, releasing the weapons I was summoning. With a surge of energy, I jumped into the air, and sent them flying toward his body.

I could see his tensing up, getting into position for the Kaiten. I could sense the chakra being released, and I watched as his rotation picked up speed. He deflected my metal weapons easily.

But the memory of an old plan I had been forming to beat the Kaiten seeped back into my brain. I smirked as the details became clearer.

He was slowing down; this was my chance. I hurriedly picked up a few of the closest weapons as he stopped the chakra, and I rushed toward him.

"Aim for the legs," I said to myself, throwing the sharp objects toward his perfect body.

See, there was a problem with Neji's Kaiten that I had discovered after years of training with him. As he is decreasing speed, he is more vulnerable than any other time during battle. Sure, he can see me, but he can't completely dodge.

As expected, Neji moved just quickly enough so that the weapons only skimmed the surface of his robes, leaving small tears in the cloth. But it was enough to surprise him; no one, besides the other Hyuuga's had been able to figure out the exact moment when he would be most vulnerable.

I smirked, watching his eyes go from the torn cloth to my face.

"You saw that opening that quickly?"

"I figured you would have to stop sometime, and your feet seemed to be the best target, as they stayed in generally the same area, whereas the rest of you is… spinning or something. I'm not sure how you released that much chakra like that, but I figure it has to do with the eyes."

He nodded, but a smirk was evident on his face, as well. "Well, the eyes are important to my particular style, but they are not what control the chakra. It's a certain style of taijutsu passed down my family line that allows these techniques."

"Then you must be a Gentle Fist user," I countered. The smirk was lifted off of his face, and his eyes narrowed. "Shikamaru told me that I should fight a Gentle Fist user because it will help my skills. He said I'd know what clan it is by the eyes when I asked him where I could find one."

"Nara should keep his mouth shut when it comes to other clan's jutsu," he muttered.

I mentally smacked myself for blaming my knowledge of the Gentle Fist on Shikamaru… he didn't deserve the hatred of Neji. "I think he only told me so I could find a decent sparring partner," I said uncertainly. "He didn't tell me anything about the techniques, just that I should find one, and, well, fight them."

"Ah."

He wasn't totally convinced, but then again, I wasn't exactly the best liar when it came to small stuff like this. Especially when I was this nervous. In an effort to remove myself from this situation, I bent down to start collecting my weapons once more. I wanted to get out of here. "Well, um-"

"Begin again?" Neji asked uncertainly. I looked up at him, confusion coloring my face. "You were a good opponent; you could see through my attacks. I want to try something out on you, if you wouldn't mind, Kyaten. It will be a bit uncomfortable, as it's closing down your chakra systems. But I want to see if someone as perceptive as yourself will be able to stop it."

I nodded. "Sure." I knew the technique well; I had seen Neji use it more than I can remember.

Soon, he was back in a familiar stance, eyes at the ready. I clutched my weapons, trying to figure out a way to break down the inevitable attack.

"8 Trigrams," his voice rang out. "128 Palms!" In an instant, he was in front of me. I could clearly see the veins surrounding his eyes and the small amounts of black that formed a ring where the pupil should be. His face was stiff with concentration, and he was watching me. I made a move to use the kunai, knowing it was useless, but trying anyway.

And then I felt the first stab, followed by more and more. _'Shit… this is starting to hurt. Badly." _I clenched my eyes in pain, and let out a small hiss of pain as he neared the 80th strike. All of a sudden, the stabbing fingers stopped, and I cracked open my eyes. Neji was staring down at me, worried.

"Are you okay?"

My body was sore all over, and I had already collapsed onto the ground from lack of mobile limbs. "Yeah, but I guess my body just wasn't ready for that so soon. I guess Sakura was right, I still need a bit more time to recover from-"

I stopped midway, my eyes growing wide as I panted for breath. What was I babbling on about! He was going to suspect something! I mean, come on, an accident? I glanced up at my former teammate. As usual, his face showed hardly any emotion.

But, I realized with a certain amount of pride, I could still read the anger in his face. His mouth was moving, and I strained to pick up the hardly audible words. "I was told by Hokage-sama to make sure she doesn't over exert herself, that she doesn't get injured and compromise the healing… And _I'm_ the one that does this! I shouldn't have been so curious," he admonished himself quietly.

"It's not a big deal," I said, standing up shakily. His arm shot out to steady me as I almost fell, and I smiled gratefully. "Sakura was just being overprotective of me. And apparently, Hokage-sama is as well, most likely on her orders. But," I said, a sudden streak of boldness hitting me, "to make it up to me, you should take me out to lunch. No missions means hardly any money which means you get to treat me."

I knew by the look in his eyes he say the logic in my statement. He did injure me, against his Hokage's orders. But I knew, also, that the idea of taking out a woman he hardly knew was not appealing to him, especially when he had a fiancée, and people could get the wrong idea.

Sometimes I creep myself out with how well I know Hyuuga Neji.

"Okay," He finally said, agreeing to my proposition.

My heart began to beat frantically and squeal in pleasure at his acceptance, but I managed (somehow) to stay calm and composed. "Good. Where to?"

"Do you like ramen?" he asked.

"Um, I guess. I've never really eaten a lot of it," I lied. Gai-sensei, see, had taken us out in our early days after missions if we did well. And he would most always (Unless it was b-rank or higher) take us to eat ramen at Ichiraku's stand. It was a cheap way to congratulate us, and, not wanting to turn down free food, we ate. And one thing about Team Gai- it was rare for us _not_ to do well on a mission.

Neji smiled. Or, at least, the corners of his mouth twitched upward into an almost visible smile. I returned with a full-fledged smile of my own. "Ready to go eat some ramen?" I asked him quickly. His arm was still around my waist, steadying me, as we walked out of the forest and into Konoha. It wasn't until we reached a place where loose-lipped villagers could see us that he asked me if I could walk on my own, to which I said yes.

"The place we're going is a village 'treasure' as Hokage-sama calls it. Almost every ninja in the village, save for yourself most likely, has eaten at least one bowl of ramen here," he told me as we approached the place where the ramen hut used to be. In its stead stood a rather large building with 'Ichiraku Ramen' written across the top on a sign in bold letters.

I gasped. "Wow." It's gotten bigger in five years. How could I have not noticed it before? "It's quite a popular place," I commented.

"Having the Hokage as such a valued customer can do wonders for business," he replied with a chuckle.

We moved inside the restaurant, and immediately, a waitress appeared, smiling. "Orders, please?"

"Um, I'll have the chicken ramen," I stated quickly. "No eggs, please." The girl nodded, and then turned to Neji expectantly.

"I will have the Thai Beef and water." The girl nodded once more, and made her way to the kitchen again. Neji turned to me with an eyebrow quirked. "How did you know this place served eggs with their ramen?"

"Don't most ramen places?" His eyes were light and amused as I shrugged. My lips rose slightly; I could tell he was joking with me. For the first time since I woke up, I wasn't nervous around Neji. Sitting here with him like this felt right.

"But you said you never really ate it, therefore you probably wouldn't remember too many restaurants."

"Just because she does not eat it, Neji, does not mean she does not know ramen etiquette. Hello, Kyaten-chan."

Lee appeared out of practically thin air. And the moment of perfection with Neji, the only one I'd had for a long time, vanished. Lee smiled. "I hope that my rival is not bothering you too much. He can be quite paranoid sometimes."

"Nah, he's not too bad," I said.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment to my conversational skills? 'Not too bad?'"

"Well, Neji, you do not speak very much to anyone," Lee added. Neji shot him a very frosty glare, and the green jump suited jonin quickly excused himself, saying he needed to go find his team.

"You'll have to excuse Lee, he's usually not this strange around people he barely knows," Neji told me as the ramen bowls were set in front of us.

I knitted my eyebrows together skeptically. "Really? Because the first time I met him, I'm pretty sure he hit on me. He seems like a weird guy, no offense. The whole jump suit thing really sets off the 'strange' flags in my head."

Neji just smirked, and took a quick bite of his ramen. "I guess you're right, he is a little strange. But he's a good guy."

The rest of our meal was eaten in silence, and my thoughts drifted back to this morning. Which led me back to the thoughts about Sakura and her imagination and Neji shirtless (which did not happen this morning, but that doesn't mean a girl still can't think of something as perfect as a Hyuuga without his shirt on). It was no wonder that I could feel my face begin to redden.

Neji glanced up from his ramen and probably saw my red face. His eyes grew a fraction of a centimeter, and worry was probably rushing through his mind.

"Are you okay?" he asked for the second time today.

As I was about to reply 'Yes, of course I am,' I looked into his face. The expression, along with the sad, worried tone of voice, sent my brain scrambling.

And the back of my head throbbing.

"Ahh," I murmured, my eyes squeezed shut. I could hear Neji's voice, clear as day, talking to Sakura. He was asking her if I was going to make it. He wanted to know how I was doing, if everything was healing. She kept replying yes, yes, my body was fine. It was my brain, that giant clump of gray matter, which needed to heal. I could hear the worry and sadness in his voice as he spoke to me, told me about his life, and how much he wished I wake up.

"Come on Tenten," the voice said. "I know you can pull through. You're strong."

My heart broke into a million pieces. I needed to make the voice happy again. I didn't want Neji to be sad because of me. My scar throbbed painfully as I remember my conscious, hell bent on making him feel better, pushing through.

I remember cracking open my eyes and only being able to see him. I placed my hand on his as I sat up. "It's going to be okay, Neji. It's all okay. Don't be sad anymore."

After that, it's a blank.

"Kyaten!" Now, that same voice drew me out of my flashback, and my brown eyes found his pale ones. The look of worry was so evident on his face it was hard to believe this was the same boy who stood stone faced as his cousin almost died, who could only smirk condescendingly at his teammates, and who didn't shed a tear at my funeral.

"You need to go to the hospital right now," he said urgently, placing his hand on my own.

I shook my head. "No," I argued, all my strength working to make my voice seem more steady. "I'm fine, just a little after effect of my wound," I told him. "It's nothing big, it's already over with. I'm fine, I swear. It won't happen again."

He was unconvinced, but the look of worry on his face eased a bit.

"When Sakura gets into town, I'll tell her what happened and have her take a look. My condition is kind of hard to explain, and she's the only medic who knows enough to tell me what's going on."

The worried look was becoming less and less apparent with every word I spoke.

"If I may ask," he said a minute later, after the pain had subsided completely. "What _is_ wrong with you, medically?"

"I'll answer your question honestly if you make a promise to answer the question that I want to ask honestly as well," I said. He rolled his eyes, and muttered something along the lines of 'Fine.' I took a deep breath, and smiled at him. "It's head trauma. I received a devastating blow to the head when I was younger. Our medics were inexperienced and it didn't heal completely well. Sakura has done as much as much as she can to where it no longer hinders any of my abilities. This is just a painful once in a lifetime side-effect."

He nodded slowly as he took it all in, and deemed my half-truth good enough. "And your question was…?"

I bit my lip, staring at the table.

"Well, when we were in the field, earlier today… You said to call you Neji instead of Hyuuga-san. And right afterwards, you muttered something." My eyes were drawn to his face. "What did you say?"

"I said that Hyuuga-san sounded… weird, coming out of your mouth."

And I could have sworn, as he said this, Hyuuga Neji blushed.


	9. The Mission

**Nichole's Note: Okay, so I apologize for being... Wait, I'm on time? Wait, I'm MORE THAN ON TIME? Holy crap guys, that's right, I'm updating four days after the last chapter was put up! That's right, I love you guys so much that this idea stuck to me and would not leave me alone. So I apologize if it's a bit rough and makes no sense toward the end... It was kind of a weird night to be writing. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and I am adamantly working on the next one (although it would be incredibly foolish to promise it in just as short of time since SCHOOL STARTS NEXT WEEK NOOOOOOOOOOO.) **

**Read and Review! Those reviews gave me incentive to update!**

It was a weird feeling to be walking down the road of Konoha with Neji after getting back from a mission. It felt like old times, and that was definitely not something I was used to.

Also, his arm was slung around my waist and my arm rested on his shoulder. That was a bit different.

"So Hinata had her baby this week?" I asked as I limped beside him.

"Yes," he responded. "It was a little boy, and his name is Ryu. Inuzuka Ryu."

My attempt as small talk to divert attention away from my injury was failing miserably. He seemed to be intent on dragging me to see someone, even though I had struggled and resisted the entire time. But he eventually just picked me up, and began to carry me there, and I couldn't stop blushing (he was carrying me bridal style, after all), so in the end we compromised on this.

Basically, Neji won.

When we finally reached the hospital, Neji sat me down in a chair, and he walked up to the receptionist. A few words were exchanged, and he came back over to me. "There's a medic on walk-in duty right now. The woman says that I can escort you there, but I have to wait outside, as I am neither your teammate nor your…" he trailed off, and then offered me a hand. "Well, come on."

I took his hand, just wanting to get this visit over with.

I limped down the hall until we finally came to a door. Neji knocked, and a woman whose voice I didn't recognize answered, "Come in!" He pushed the door open, and I saw Shizune sitting in a chair, writing something on a piece of paper. "Oh, hello Neji. You can just set her down right here," she said, gesturing to the cushion covered in paper.

He helped me up, and then walked out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

"Hello, I am Shizune, and I'll be taking care of you this visit."

"I'm Kyaten," I said cheerfully, still feeling somewhat ridiculous.

Shizune asked me where the wound was, and I rolled up my pant leg to show her the bandage, which had somehow or another become stained with blood again. Damnit, I thought this wound had closed!

"What happened, Kyaten?" she asked, looking down at the wound.

"Well…" I started, thinking back to the incident.

See, I had been brought into Naruto's office three days after my little memory show. He had decided that now, after Sakura had examined my head and declared me fine, that I was able to go on a mission again. My partner was a new chuunin who needed some easy C-rank experience. And since Naruto knew that I could handle a C-rank mission well, he apparently thought I would be a good baby-sitter for her.

Part of me was quite upset about this, because I had just spent three days hanging out and training with Neji. We had gotten to the point where I could almost call him a friend again. But I knew that I couldn't turn down a mission on the basis of "But I want to hang out with Neji more!" so I agreed.

We were going to escort a young woman from Konoha to Kirigakure, my 'home village.' I was going to be the leader, and Hana, my blonde haired companion, was going to listen to me. We both played our parts well, but Hana reminded me of how I used to think of Ino and Sakura… brash and boy crazy.

The three of us left an hour later, ready to take the short mission that our Hokage "could have done- and did, mind you- as a genin," and it came to a very successful start. Hana was a good listener, even if she was a little disappointed with the lack of action that this mission was giving us.

When the action did show up, she was more than ready to get going. She wanted to create an elaborate trap and kill all of the bandits that had wandered upon our campsite, and tried to ransack us, only to be highly confused when the shoddy genjutsu I had barely been able to cast was lifted. I tried to tell her that rushing into this wasn't necessary, but then again, neither was waiting until they decided to make a campe and having one of us dress up like a whore to attract them so we could slit their throats.

"What we are going to do is simple, Hana," I told her from our cover in the trees. Our client was seated behind us; I had made sure she was hidden and safe before trying to come up with anything. "My aim is nearly perfect and I can hit them easily enough to wound them. What you are going to do is scout out the group quickly to make sure there are no ninja. We don't want to start a war with anyone. Bandit or not, villages hate it when their own die."

For the most part, she had done a good job. But after wounding several of the bandits, a kunai was flying my way. I easily dodged, but now that this former ninja knew where we were, I had to get out of the tree and move the client. Hana, who was apologizing heavily at this point, accidentally gave away our location, and a kunai hit me in the leg as I tried to quiet her and get the young girl to go behind a tree.

"Hana," I said through gritted teeth, "please take Emi-san and get her to safety. I will find you once I have finished dealing with these people."

"But you're bleeding!" Hana pointed out as thought I could not figure out for myself that there was blood trickling down my leg. I pulled the kunai out, and looked at the blood covered tip.

"Trust me, I've had worse," I commented, my hand flying to the back of my head. My fingers trailed down my hair as she turned around, concentrating on getting Emi out of there, and I spun to face my opponent. I threw the bloodied kunai back at him, watching as he almost dodged its lethal tip. The cold metal soared into his arm, and I watched as his own weapon sliced a section of his arm open.

The man's large gray eyes widened considerably as he looked down at his damaged arm. I could tell he believed he was going to dodge that attack, as it was just one kunai.

But it was one kunai thrown by me, which happened to make all the difference.

"Hm, Konoha," the man said, looking up at my headband. "Your village always did have very skilled fighters."

"And what village are you from?" I asked him, holding one of the slimmer kunai in my hand, ready to use it at a moment's notice.

"I was formerly a ninja from Kiri, but being a thief is much more profitable when your village is small and overrun with overly ambitious young ninja." He eyed the kunai in my hand, and looked around at the men who hadn't yet been able to crawl into the woods. He knew that I had done this to all of them. "I am not looking for a fight with a ninja. I am sorry that we attacked your campsite, young kunoichi. You have put us at a disadvantage by injuring my men, and you can rest assured knowing that we will not bother you again."

I nodded, but refused to put away my weapons. As much as I wished I could have done something more, killing all of these men would be the only way to stop them, and that was too much civilian blood on my hands. I knew when the mission took precedence, and I knew that this battle was won.

I backed slowly into the woods, still facing the former ninja. Under the cover of the trees, I turned around, and felt for Hana's presence.

"Kyaten!" she said excitedly once I had found the two. "Did you do it? Did you kill them?"

"No," I replied. "They were injured enough, and it was not worth it to kill so many civilians when they did not compromise our mission too badly. Now, if you wouldn't mind, could I have some of the bandages I packed in my bag? I need to tend to my wound."

The rest of the mission went smoothly. We reached Kiri without further incident that day, and Emi was grateful to see her parents once more. Hana and I left quickly, wanting to get home, and so my leg went untreated the entire way home.

When the two of us arrived in Konoha, a certain Hyuuga was walking by, and noticed that I was limping considerably.

"Oh my God, look! It's a Hyuuga!" Hana said breathlessly in my ear. "They have some of the best looking men in the whole village. And this one is especially good looking," she commented, her tone sounding more and more girl-on-the-prowl. I wanted to bite her head off.

Hana had noticed by that point that he was walking over to us.

"Is that your boyfriend? You scored a Hyuuga hottie? Ugh, some girls have all the luck."

"He is not my boyfriend," I said quietly but sternly.

Neji had came to a stop about two feet in front of us. It dawned on me that he must still be stuck in Konoha for Hinata's baby, and I wondered if she had had it yet or what. "Kyaten," he said, his voice deep and unemotional. "What have you done to your leg?"

I frowned. "It's nothing, Neji, I swear."

I figured my leg was nothing big, and I didn't want to bother a medic with a tiny wound like the one currently on my leg.

"Before you left for this mission, you were not limping. And now you are. Therefore, you must be injured, and it must be more serious than you are letting on."

"She injured her leg making sure the girl got to safety after our campsite was attacked by bandits and their ninja leader," Hana added in helpfully, trying to direct some of Neji's attention to herself. He quickly glanced at her, and then back at me.

"You didn't hear them coming before they attacked you and cast a genjutsu? When you're in that type of situation, you need to be alert at all-"

I interrupted him with an angry sigh. I could tell that he was just trying to be helpful by admonishing me for my mistake that I did not make. I think he felt protective of me, like this four days spent as my guardian made him so how responsible for how my health was. "I did cast a genjutsu, but you know I suck at them!"

"No I don't," he then countered. "How would I know something like that? You've never used genjutsu around me."

"If I could create a worthwhile illusion, I couldn't be a weapons master," I had said, thinking fast. "I would have done something, like, oh I don't know, become a genjutsu specialist. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go report to Hokage-sama as soon as possible about the success of our mission." I tried to brush past him, but I ended up falling on my back as I stepped on a rock and my leg gave out when I tried to stabilize the rocking movements.

Neji looked down at me, arms folded across his chest. I could almost hear the chorus of "Tenten, you are making a fool out of yourself," or "Tenten, this is ridiculous. This is not something you should be getting so worked up over," because when we were younger, it was always my luck that my big dramatic exits ended in me falling or running into someone.

"Kyaten, you should probably get that looked at," he commented softly.

I narrowed my eyes, staying on the ground. "No."

"You are going to see someone about this."

"I have to go to the Hokage and report the success of-"

My answer had been interrupted as Neji turned to Hana. "Miss, could you please go report to Hokage-sama that your mission was a success and that Kyaten here is being escorted to the hospital for an injury sustained while on the mission?"

Hana, ever the sucker for cute boys, just nodded, and took off in the direction of Hokage Manor. That traitor, leaving me, her teammate, here because a cute boy asked her to.

A cute boy that was then currently picking me up, bridal style, saying that I needed to go to the hospital. After many insists that I could walk, he ended up just helping me there.

I sighed, looking at Shizune. "What happened was I was injured while making sure our client was safe. My teammate couldn't tell a former ninja from a bandit. It shouldn't be too deep anymore… it's been about three days since I received the injury."

The medic just nodded, and in an instant, I could feel the soothing green chakra closing up the wound on my leg.

"Luckily you wrapped it when you did, and luckily it was a short mission. You tore a small part of your muscle, causing the limp, and one of your veins was punctured, but it healed before I even touched it. You must have a lot of healing chakra pumping in your system," Shizune joked. "What, do you come in here all the time?"

I shook my head. "Nope, I guess I just must be lucky, like you said."

"Well, at any rate, you're fine."

I smiled and thanked her, enjoying the lack of pain emanating from my leg. I hadn't realized how big a problem it was until, well, it wasn't one anymore. As I emerged from the room, the first thing I took in was the fact Neji was still waiting outside. He looked up at me when I shut the door, and then noticed I wasn't limping anymore.

"Feeling better?" he questioned.

"Yeah," I responded. "I hadn't realized that my leg was that bad off. Thank you for making me come here."

Neji smirked, his usual way of accepting compliments. "You seemed like the type that would downplay an injury because you didn't think it was a big deal."

"And how would you know that?" I asked, smiling.

"I seem to remember you telling me something about 'Oh, it was head trauma,' as if it was an everyday occurrence that people get bashed over the head," he pointed out, his tone still light.

I laughed.

'_Is this what flirting with Neji feels like?' _I wondered, quickly followed by, _'And why is he flirting with me if he's engaged, anyway?' _Not that I minded, but still.

"So I guess I do have a habit of thinking that I'm not as bad off as I am. But I can't help it; it's been ingrained in me since I was born."

We were walking down the dusty streets of Konoha for the second time today, but this time, there was nothing awkward about it. And my leg wasn't hurting. It was another close to perfection moment with my old teammate, and I wished, once more, that it wouldn't end.

But apparently I need to start knocking on wood whenever I wish, because for some reason, fate always decides to do the opposite of what I ask.

"Hyuuga-san," a ninja said, appearing in front of us in a flash of smoke. The smile dropped off of Neji's face, and he looked at his fellow ninja with no hint of emotion. "The group that you've asked to be informed of when they make movements, the group from the Cloud-"

Neji cleared his throat to interrupt the boy, looking at me quickly.

"I mean, the group you wanted monitored," the boy corrected, the faintest hint of a blush appearing as embarrassment hit. "Well, they've begun to move again, and reports are coming in about attacks in the Land of Fire."

My white eyed companion turned to me. "I'm very sorry, Kyaten, but I must leave. I am glad that your leg is better." And with that, he was gone.

I turned to the messenger and grabbed him by the arm. He looked to be about a genin, maybe chuunin, which meant whatever this was, it wasn't confidential. "Tell me, this group from the Cloud… is it the same one that attacked Neji's team about five years ago."

"I-I don't know," the boy said. My lying senses went off, and I narrowed my brown eyes at him angrily as my grip tightened.

"You do know," I said, my voice dripping with venom, "and you will give me my answer."

The boy clenched his eyes shut, fear emanating from him. If I wasn't so worried about Neji, I wouldn't be doing this. If this is the same group, then Neji will try and attack them. I just know he will.

And his emotions will cloud his judgment.

"Y-Yes," the boy said. "It is that group." I released his arm, and the boy disappeared, probably glad to still have his bones unshattered. I began running as fast as I could toward Hokage Manor, hoping to get there before Naruto allowed Neji to leave.

But once again, luck was not on my side.

"Naruto!" I called, pushing the door open. Naruto sat at his desk, staring down at a sheet of paper before him. He looked up as soon as I said something, and his face darkened.

"So you know what he's going to do?"

"Naruto," I said, in my urgency forgetting to use honorary terms, "you have to stop him. He won't be thinking straight during this mission! He'll be blinded by revenge, and you know it. You've seen his ANBU sword. You know what's tied around it. In his mind, these are the people who killed me. These are the ones that ended my life. He can't go out there and face them again Naruto… he'll do something stupid. I can't stand to think about him, out there, just wanting to kill them. He has a whole assassin team with him... And yet, he might not come back this time." Tears were beginning to form in my eyes.

"Neji is a capable ANBU captain. He presented me with a request to take his squad out to remove a disturbance in the country. I couldn't refuse him; after all, the Lord requested help with this, and he is paying handsomely."

"His emotions will cloud his judgment! He tore through those bodies last time, you've heard the reports. Naruto, I can't stand the thought that he is going to face them again."

Naruto looked at me, seriousness apparently on his face. "You caused his thoughts of revenge to take hold, Tenten. You were the one who refused to allow him to know your identity. These ninja need to be taken care of. As much as I don't want to let him go, Neji is one of my best ANBU captains, and he can track these rogues well."

I turned my face to the group, tears of worry and shame dripping to the ground.

'_Get a grip, Tenten!'_ I shouted at myself. This was no time to be crying. I needed to do something.

Wiping the tears from my eyes, I looked up at Naruto. "I'm going, too."

"This is an ANBU only mission, Tenten. These people are S-ranked criminals."

I narrowed my eyes, hating the fact that he was right. "Then promote me to ANBU, right now."

Sai snorted from the corner of the room, but I ignored him. Naruto shook his head, bewildered. "I just can't promote you like that, Tenten! There are rules and regulations to be followed with these things. You have tests to pass and people to impress."

I walked forward, and placed my hands on Naruto's desk. In a second, Sai was standing next to him, watching me intently. "Look," I said, my voice tight. "No matter what you say, I am going to go after him and make sure he's alright. There is no way I am going to let him face a group of ninja that he thinks are responsible for my death. Either I go with your permission as a ninja of Konoha or I walk out of those gates and become another missing nin to add to your books."

"What makes you think that you could outrun my Hunter nins?" Naruto asked.

"I am a member of Team Gai, the fastest team in the village. Despite being in a coma, I've trained enough to where it would take either Neji or Lee to catch me."

Unexpectedly, Naruto began to laugh. "Well, Tenten of Team Gai, I give you permission to trail the ANBU squad currently going after this group of S-ranked ninja and help it's leader in any way. I hope you are up to the task."


	10. Discovery

**Nichole's Note: SORRY FOR THE LACK OF UPDATE. SCHOOL. UGH. HARD CLASSES. UGH. And I'm also very sorry for the short chapter but a lot happens so that's good right? And it leads up to some pretty awesomeness for the next chapter! Aggggh I'm tired. Bleh.**

**Disclaimed: Own nothing that is featured in the manga Naruto. That all belongs to other people not me.**

**Review? Please? :D**

I needed to hurry; there wasn't much time to lose. He runs fast, and now he's motivated. I had no idea how fast he was going. And I needed to catch up with him… Quickly.

The first stop was to my apartment. I needed supplies. Weapons: Check. Bandages: Check. Hopefully I wouldn't be needing any food or shelter; this group couldn't be that far away, could it? I threw the backpack onto my shoulders, and headed out the door.

"Neji, I'm coming," I whispered into the air, feeling kind of silly but filled with purpose as I dashed toward the town gate. The guards didn't bother stopping me, something I was grateful for. The less brain power I had concentrating on getting to him, making sure he was safe, the worse off I'd be. I needed all thrusters set to speed.

The forest was bright and warm, and there weren't many other people within the reaches of the green trees, another thing that offhandedly crossed my mind as lucky.

I felt like I was getting nowhere fast as the same scenery kept on speeding past. All it was was green and brown. I wasn't going fast enough. I would never get to him in time. And I needed to get to him before he ended up putting his team in needless danger.

Or worse… killing himself.

I bit down on my tongue to keep the tears that welled up at the thought of Neji dying. He was a capable ninja, I told myself. Strong, smart, and logical.

He was logical to the point of being cold and cynical.

He was the last person to let emotions affect him.

Right?

The thought of him when the messenger boy told him that the group-the rebels from the Cloud- had been sighted flashed through my mind. That look was what killed my confidence in his apathy. That look was what scared me.

That look was of a man willing to die for nothing, marching to his doom because he can.

"Idiot!" I reprimanded him, and pushed myself faster, faster.

The world around me began to blur into one continuous color stream. I was no longer able to make out any distinctive shapes in the colors whipping around me. I was barely aware that my foot kept hitting a branch to keep me propelled. All I could see was the frozen expression on his face when he knew he could get revenge.

And all I could imagine was the dead, cold look on his face I would find when he was over powered.

My heart wrenched painfully. I needed to stop thinking of that. I needed to have confidence in his abilities. That was what I needed to do.

An elite group of ninja surrounded him and kept him safe.

_He would elude them… go out to fight this battle on his own._

He is smart, analytical, and careful.

_But he's angry, depressed, and careless._

He is strong.

_But is he strong enough?_

The question echoed throughout my mind, and I knew I was freaking out. I wasn't thinking rationally. I was repeating things for no reason whatsoever. I was scaring myself. But my mind only had one idea, and that was a Neji who needed me.

Something in my leg began to burn as I felt the effects of pushing myself so hard after having it punctured. I made a mental note to go home and punch Hana in the face. Regardless of it's supposed healing, there was still some sore tissue, and I was murdering it.

The pain slowly dulled after another three hours of running a speed no normal ninja should ever be able to reach. I wanted to say that I was no normal ninja and this was nothing for me, but my time as a member of Gai-sensei's team had ended quite a while ago and now I was killing myself to keep the same pace.

"Stop."

My body froze in place as a man appeared in front of me, kunai at my throat. He was dressed in the traditional ANBU uniform with a bird's mask covering his face. The steel blade was lowered as I guess he saw my headband.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was sent by Hokage-sama to search for and find the leader of this squad, Hyuuga-san. It is important that I get to him before he does something reckless, as Naruto-sama expected he would. Can you give me any information?"

I could feel the man's gaze drop. "We lost contact with the leader over thirty minutes ago. He ordered us to stay in the woods and make sure that no one got through into or out of the fighting area. He told us he would handle it on his own."

Fear ran down my spine. "Let me pass, and warn your fellow members that I am coming, and tell them not to disturb me."

"I cannot allow you to do that, miss."

My eyes narrowed into a glare. "Hokage-sama's orders trump Neji's every time, boy. Let. Me. Pass."

After a moment of consideration, the ANBU agent finally let me through. He was reluctant, but I knew he knew I was right. Thank God Naruto let me come out here, and I didn't have to give up my headband. That would have sucked.

My ears and eyes were alert for any sign of Neji. I moved silently through the trees, searching, waiting, watching. Yet no matter how much I tried, I couldn't get anything.

The ANBU I had met in the woods seemed to have sent the message along to all of his team not to bother me, because while I knew they were out here somewhere, I neither saw, heard, or felt them anywhere. Usually I could tell when I was being watched-a feeling- but I didn't get it at all.

"So you finally found me. I've been waiting for you, Hyuuga."

A very sickeningly familiar female's voice quietly drifted out of a clearing to my right. I slowed my pace, and propelled from branch to branch with the stealth of, well, a ninja.

"I knew that one day you'd be back to avenge that little girl. You were so angry when she fell. Even I was scared."

I settled myself in a place where I had just enough view of the proceedings to tell what's going on. The red headed woman stood smugly in front of Neji, her fellow rebels surrounding her. He stood tall, his whole body tensed with hatred.

"But now I get to kill you like you killed my men, white eyes. You will soon be nothing more than a memory. And that's always good news."

In a matter of seconds, Neji was in stance and tearing through the bodies coming at him. But try as he might, they just weren't normal humans. They were ninja, and they had skills of their own. One of them threw kunai to the ground, creating the points of a star. With the slam of her foot, the ground in between the knives cracked, and Neji fell.

Another one jumped on top of him, stabbing him with something disgustingly sharp. Neji pushed him off with a surge of chakra, but he couldn't get up fast enough before others of them jumped on.

"_Dispel!"_ I whispered, making the hand motions. This could not be happening. I walked into a genjutsu, I just knew it. It was a trap, and this was my greatest fear. _"Dispel!"_

Yet nothing happened. The scene stayed the same. I reached into my pouch and pulled out a few kunai, and threw them. It hit the two ninja currently wailing on Neji, and sent them flying off of him.

The red head looked straight into my hiding spot, and I knew my cover was blown. I stood up, and practically flew into the open battle field. Neji was pushing himself up, and blood was seeping from his back.

"And here I thought I had killed you that day when we ambushed your pathetic little three man cell. Surprise," she mumbled, looking highly displeased.

"You did kill her," Neji said. "You killed my teammate. You ended her life! This is not the same girl!"

"No, I'm sure it's her. It looks like her, although I will admit I like this style more than those buns. Yes, I remember. I liked seeing how the blood mixed with your muddy brown hair."

I gritted my teeth, but made no comment back. The other ninja were just standing there, watching this go down. Neji was slowly gaining his composure, and I was walking toward him. As soon as I reached him, I slipped my arm around his waist and put the other one over my shoulder. He tried to pull away, but I gripped him.

"No, you're injured. Don't push yourself."

"Kyaten, what are you doing here?"

A strange laugh came out of the girl's mouth. "Kyaten? I distinctly remember you yelling something else the last time I saw you."

I cleared my throat. "Like he said, I'm not the same person. That girl, as I understand, was his teammate. I'm just someone sent here to fulfill my Hokage's orders."

I glanced over at Neji. His mask has shattered already, and there were cuts all over him. I saw the black mike that connected him with this team hanging down on his chest, and the small box told me it was off.

"You look like her, walk like her, and even use weapons as your main source of defense. I know it was you who throw the kunai, and your aim is spot on."

Neji staggered forward, and I caught him with my free arm. "You're mistaken."

"You even have the same chakra signature as her. Now if that isn't sure proof, I don't know what is."

My eyes widened, and Neji looked down at me. She could sense chakra? Was she a tracker? My pulse quickened. I had to think of something to get out of here. I needed to get Neji away from here. My eyes drifted back to the microphone as I ignored the redheaded woman's taunts and Neji's curious stares. As long as those other ninja were standing around in the circle, they'd make easy targets.

I sneakily turned that black box back on, allowing all of his team to hear what was happening.

"Help! I repeat, all team members, this is an alert!" Neji winced as my announcement came loud and clear over his earpiece. We waited for a few seconds, and as the other ninja registered what I had yelled and were preparing, the rest of Neji's ANBU team appeared. With one assessment of the situation, a massive battle began, and we were quickly escorted off the battle field by an ANBU member.

Neji dismissed the ANBU as soon as we were safely hidden. The ninja shook their head. "No sir, I am trained to stay here and make sure that no one will attack you in this state," she said, her high voice taking me by surprise. "You are not allowed to go back onto the battlefield."

"I need to go with my team," he argued.

Yet again, the girl shook her head. "Sir, when we became part of this team, we were informed by Hokage-sama that if this ever happened, you were to stay off the battlefield. Naruto-sama told us that we were not allowed to let you throw your life away over revenge. He said he's tired of that excuse."

That's Naruto for you. Here I thought he was just going ot let Neji march to his death, but he had the team prepared. A new sense of pride welled up in me. That was my Hokage kickin' ass and being awesome.

"Then hide yourself and forget everything we say,' Neji said, waving her away. The girl nodded, and then was gone. Suddenly, Neji's eyes were trained on my face, as if really seeing it for the first time.

"Neji…" I began, my eyes dropping to the ground.

"You're her, aren't you?" he asked quietly.

I laughed awkwardly. "I… I don't know what you mean."

His eyes narrowed. "Don't like to me. You're Tenten, aren't you?"

I nodded, unwilling to let myself speak.

"I knew it," he said quietly. "I knew from the first second I saw you that it was you. But I couldn't believe it. And Sakura had sad that you…" he struggled for words as his mind began to race. I could see the gears turning. "Why didn't you tell me? Why did you keep it a secret?"

"I-I…" I started, my voice shaking. "I didn't want you and Lee to treat me like a child again. I was just getting to the point where I was a capable teammate and not just something you had to protect. If I had told you the second I had woken up, you would have been acting fake and trying to protect me from the reality of it all. I was gone for five years. I had… I had to see for myself."

His eyes were still trained on my face.

"Tenten…" he said, his hand touching mine.

A rustling in the leaves alerted us to a new presence. The redheaded girl, the leader, limped up.

"I found you," she said, venom drenching her voice. Neji shot up, pain crossing his face, and I followed suit, facing her. She grimaced at us, and then spit out blood into the ground. "I have unfinished business with both of you."


	11. Battle Time

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry it's been so long! This is actually Nichole's older sister, also known to you all as Rai. I have some kind of bad news, and an actual viable excuse for the absence of my little sister as well as why I ended up doing most of the writing for this chapter: About 3 months ago, in middleish October, Nichole was in a car accident and ended up breaking her arm/wrist. While the arm healed by November, the wrist took a bit long and she's been on computer probation, as I like to call it since then because her doctor didn't want her screwing up the bone. So at first we were all pretty worried about her, but she is doing fine. Her doctor only says to wait like a few more weeks to a month, just in case. **

**As to why I'm writing the chapter, well, she couldn't type and like a month ago started freaking out because it had totally slipped her mind and she couldn't type, so I offered to write this chapter for her. She argued with me, and then let me get to it as long as I had to write her ideas. It's been an interesting experience and I hope that you will all find my style very similar to hers, as I tried my best to copy it. Not that we write too differently to begin with.**

**Disclaimed: Don't own, neither does sissy. Reviews are more than welcome, and I'm sure they'd make Nichole feel better! Or hate me, because I am just so so SO much better than her. ;D**

"I found you," she said, venom drenching her voice. Neji shot up, pain crossing his face, and I followed suit, facing her. She grimaced at us, and then spit out blood into the ground. "I have unfinished business with both of you."

The woman threw the body of the ANBU guard who had been protecting us to the ground. Her other ninja must still be battling his squad.

I stood frozen, my body tensed with fear and worry. Neji was still too injured. He shouldn't be fighting anyone, much less a woman who could do some serious damage, and took out a well rested ANBU. It felt like it took my body hours to relax, finally, but I knew it was only a matter of seconds.

I pulled a scroll out of my pouch and bit my finger, letting the blood flow smoothly over the paper. In a puff of smoke, I was holding one of my oldest and most favorite weapons, a long, black handled katana. The girl laughed spitefully, her wounds oozing painfully. "Ready for a battle, little girl? I seem to remember that last time, I took you out quite easily."

"No you didn't," I countered. "One of your ninja did. And now, you're alone."

"So you think you're too good for me? Think you can defeat me? You are pitiful, girl, completely useless. I'd rather fight your injured Hyuuga than a useless weapons master like you."

A look of pure hatred crossed my face, I was sure of it. Who the hell did she think she was? I could kick her ass any day.

"She's right, Tenten," Neji said. "You need to stay back."

I turned slightly to look him in the face. "What?! I could take her, she's injured and I am completely fine!"

"I don't want to take the chance of losing you again," he replied, his voice full of pain and worry. I knew he was looking out for me. But something inside of me- that same emotion that got me into trouble all those years ago- swelled.

"No, Neji, you're too injured. You stay down for now and recover. I'll fight this bitch." While still facing Neji, I made a few small handseals. When I turned back to face my opponent, I gripped the katana tightly. She was grinning confidently, despite the injuries covering her body.

I charged at her, letting my anger build with each step.

This woman took away five years of my life for one scroll. She erased all that time for me. I was going to end her.

She rolled her eyes, and threw a kunai at me. The clone disappeared in a cloud of smoke. I jumped down on top of her, letting the sharp blade made a deep cut onto her open forehead. She screamed in pain as blood rolled down her face. "You whore!" she screamed, looking at me. "I swear I will kill you for sure this time!"

"Come and get me!" I challenged back, landing neatly between her and Neji. I rushed back toward her, holding the katana in one hand as I pulled out a kunai. I threw the knife at her face, but, as I assumed she would, she dodged quickly. I jumped sideways, missing her well aimed kick, and made a slash for her side. She disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and I was left spinning in circles looking for my target.

"Tenten, behind you!" Neji yelled, and I spun on my heel as the woman jumped out of the trees, looking furious. I think that she forgot that he existed, but I'm glad that he was still monitoring the fight. His Byakugan sure came in handy.

I lunged, using the speed that I still had to move quickly from the air to the ground behind her. I swung the blade at her legs, but she jumped and landed back on the metal, putting enough strength and chakra to snap my favorite katana clear in half. I grimaced, knowing I would have to summon something else and soon. She moved back into the trees, and I kicked the broken parts if the katana toward Neji. He looked tired, and still worn, but his Byakugan was on, and I knew that he was looking out for me. "Conserve your energy," I told him, knowing I would regret it. But I wanted him to be rested, not straining himself on my behalf. I wanted to be completely protecting him for once.

Reluctantly, I could tell, the veins around his eyes relaxed, and he went back to trying to concentrate on replenishing his chakra reserves. Well, he trusted me. That was a good start.

I closed my eyes, listening for anything that would give away her position. But, sadly, no sounds came to my ears. I opened my eyes, and she was standing next to Neji, a long blade at his throat.

"You were careless! How in the world could someone like you hope to defeat someone like me! Even a leader of Konoha's strongest was no match for me!" She laughed manically, like she was just toying with the life of Neji. And she probably was.

"You're weak! You're pitiful! I told you I defeated you once. And the only thing that was keeping you alive, the help from this man, you turned down! I have never had the disgrace of fighting anyone as weak as you. You were no challenge. And now, you are both going to die."

At first, I felt the sickness that generally accompanied disaster. But in my sense heightened state, I noticed something wrong. First, the blade she was holding was identical to my katana, right down to the last scratch. And second, the blade was touching Neji's throat, and yet… she was still holding it.

He was a Hyuuga. If he was that threatened, he could have sent waves of chakra into the blade, and the influx of chakra would have cut her hands slightly. The Gentle Fist was no laughing matter, and here she was cheapening it in a horrible Genjutsu.

"Dispel," I whispered, the illusion flying away before my eyes. She stood on the edge of the forest, her face incredulous.

Apparently, not only was she a sensor, the woman also fancied herself a genjutsu specialist. Too bad she wasn't all that familiar with the Hyuuga clan, or else she would have done a better job with the illusion.

I whipped out a few throwing needles and let them fly at her, making her dodge. One struck her foot, however, and I smirked as she winced in pain. She landed on a tree branch, and proceeded to pull out the metal needle.

But I knew I was going to need to finish this quickly. Just one small hit after another was going to do nothing. I looked over at Neji, who was focusing on my completely. I motioned to my scroll, and hoped that he would get the message. I was going to make it rain steel.

"Sogu: Tensakai," I whispered, feeling the chakra leave my body and disperse itself into my scroll. In an instant, Neji was next to me, and my weapons, which appeared to be white streaks, trailed across the sky. The woman looked up, and her eyes grew wide at the site of the oncoming assault.

I watched from the center of my attack as the weapons scattered themselves about the forest. I used some of my chakra to attach strings to most of them, so I could easily pull them back in. The hundred or so that had made the woman their target were finding their mark; each of the blades cut deeper and deeper into her skin. The weapons came down, many of them striking her and leaving fresh trails of blood down her body. I heard her scream, and hoped that this would be the end.

A few seconds later, the assault stopped. With a pull of my hand, I dragged most of the weapons back to me, and sealed them all into the scroll. The redhead lay in a heap of blood, still slightly shaking.

"She's not down yet, Tenten," Neji warned. As he said this, she stood up. She looked incredibly injured, but alive. Damn it, she was still alive! Neji jumped away from me, resuming his place next to the katana and out of the battlefield. However, the woman paid no attention to him. She slowly stood up, her body barely being able to handle the pain she was going through.

If I had the energy, I would have killed her on the spot. But my vision swam for a second, and once I recovered, she was already standing and facing me, concentration and determination coloring her face.

"I am going to kill you for this," she panted.

While she was concentrating on her wounds, I summoned another weapon from my scroll: the staff I had used the first time I had seen her.

"I'm still waiting," I told her, the staff firmly in my hand. She narrowed her eyes in pure hatred, and charged. I think the loss of blood was making her incredibly woozy. I moved to the side, dodging her frontal attack, and took a very powerful swipe at her side. It caught, and she slid backwards. But she grabbed on to the staff, and used the leverage and the bridge to punch me in the face.

I felt the blood where my nose cracked, and then the pain as she used one of the shuriken sticking into her to make one long incision on my arm. She would have done more, too, if at that instant, she hadn't been impaled in the side by a kunai. Neji was still crouched on the ground, looking tired, but his arm was outstretched. She let go of my weapon to pull the knife out of her side.

I quickly spun, and jabbed her in the leg with the end. The woman fell to her knees, and I slammed the end into her back as hard as I could. But, sadly, it was not a lot of force. She barely hit the ground, and rolled to avoid yet another onslaught from me.

She bounced up, her body still visibly shaking from the torture of this battle.

After the last blow, I knew that she was becoming seriously wounded. But I was also tired. So soon after my recovery, I was here fighting for my life. My body was wearing out, simple as that. Training is so much less invigorating than an actual mission.

I began panting, my vision narrowing in on the leader. I whipped out two kunai in one hand, and pulled out three in the other. In a matter of seconds, the kunai were flying toward her body. I could tell she was preparing for the two, but somehow, luckily, she was too worn out to notice the other three trailing behind. She grabbed the two kunai, and looked at me, almost to say she was bored, but the smirk turned into pure pain as my other three hit their mark.

"Not so confident now, huh," I countered, my breaths becoming deeper. Neji was behind me, still barely able to stand. The broken blade of the katana was tossed near his feet.

"You're one to talk," she muttered, blood seeping out of the incision I had made on her forehead and the other numerous cuts on her body.

I moved into formation, the staff I had summoned ready to attack. I took a large swipe at her, and then threw another shuriken that I had been holding. Another wince of pain followed as the sharp metal found its mark. The woman, panting and bleeding, tore out the shuriken and threw it to the ground. She knew I would only catch it and use it against her if she threw it back.

In a swift motion, she pulled out a scroll, and let some of the blood from her arm leak over it. I threw a few of the needles I had taken out earlier, trying to get her attention away from the scroll. It worked easily, and the paper dropped from her hand and onto the ground. She dodged quickly, and I took a swipe at her position in the air.

She, however, had another plan. She landed next to Neji, and picked up the handle of the katana with half of the blade still attached. He moved back swiftly, but she wasn't paying attention to him.

All her attention was on me, the useless weapons master who was currently kicking her ass.

The redhead charged, jumping back and forth so quickly is was hard to see where she was. All of a sudden, she was coming down from above, and I threw up the staff to block the sharp blade. I pressed all of my strength into fighting back her force, and I could feel my body failing. My leg muscles were getting weaker and weaker, and any second now I could feel myself passing out. My vision swam dangerously, and the grip on my staff was loosening.

No, no, not now! She was weakened and injured, so I couldn't give out now!

One last final push made her jump backwards. She landed, making a triangle between her, Neji, and me. I glanced over at Neji, still panting heavily. He was worried, I could tell, and I knew he was feeling useless. But he was injured, there was no way I was going to let him fight her!

As I turned back to face the redhead, I noticed something horrible. She was coming straight at me. I had let my guard down for one second, and she was coming at me. If I had the energy, I would have jumped out of the way, but with the blood seeping from my arm and my legs failing me, I was screwed. So, _so_ screwed. I braced myself, waiting for the blow that was sure to land somewhere on my upper torso region.

Now I would have a pretty scar on my chest to match the one she had given me on the back of my head!

The sword shot out, and I raised my staff, ready to take the hit and attack her back. But there was a white thing suddenly impeding my vision. Neji stood in front of me, the blade cutting through his arm guard and slightly into his arm. I saw the blood run down the length of the blade.

"And here I thought you were done saving me," I panted.

"I told you, I am not going to lose you again, Tenten," he responded. I could sense chakra being shot up into the blade, and watched as the woman dropped the handle in surprise.

"Eight trigrams, sixty four palms," he said, his body easily falling into stance. There was a swirl of chakra and all I could see were flashes of skin as he attacked her chakra points in succession. The bloody and bruised woman winced in pain as he struck over and over again, closing down her entire body. She was feeling the full force of a Hyuuga, and I could tell it did not suit her well.

After he was finished, the woman went flying into the nearest tree, and he fell to the ground. He stayed in his crouched position, eyes shut, and Byakugan off.

"Neji!" I yelled, running to his side. "What's wrong? Are you hurt? Are you okay?"

He was frowning, as usual. "I'm just tired, Tenten. You need to finish that woman, don't pay attention to me."

As he said this, however, three of his squad came through the trees. They nodded toward their crouching leader. "We have defeated the enemy ninja with only two fatalities. We apologize for the inexperience of your guard ninja, and we will escort you and the girl back to Konoha, Leader-sama."

"No, I can take him back," I protested. "I have enough energy to get us back to Konoha. Can you take care of the leader? She's unconscious, but she needs to be killed."

"Stop it, they don't take orders from you," Neji growled. He turned his opaque eyes to his squad and motioned to the body. "As she said, this woman needs to be killed and the body taken to Kumogakure, along with the other bodies of the ninja. Return our two dead once you are finished giving the missing-nin back to their Kage. I can get the girl back myself, go."

Another short nod later, the three masked ninja took the two bodies away, and I was left in the clearing with Neji. He turned to me, finally able to stand, shakily, on his own two feet. I knew he was tired; I mean, I had seen him battle all those ninja by himself. And he defeated the leader, even though he had killed many of her ninja beforehand. I may have helped, but he, as always, ended up saving me in the end.

"Well, come on. I'm taking you back to Konoha," he commanded.

I shook my head, defiant as ever. "No, Neji, you are injured and tired. You have wasted almost all of your chakra battling through tons of S-ranked criminals on your own. You can barely move. I refuse to let you carry me back to Konoha. In fact, I refuse to let you walk at all!"

"We are not going to argue about this," he said calmly. "I will carry you back . You are covered in blood. Moreover, you are still suffering the effects of your, how do you like to put it, head injury. Tenten, I-"

"It's Kyaten now. My name was officially changed when I became reinstated as a Konoha ninja. Tenten is dead."

"She is not dead, she's standing here before me. Now, please, let me take you back peacefully, or I will resort to shutting your body down, point by point."

I stood in front of him, arms crossed. I didn't want him exerting himself anymore than he already had.

Neji stood in the exact same position, one eyebrow raised. "Fine. _Byakugan,_" he said, falling into the stance easily. But the small exertion wiped him of what little energy he had, and once more, Neji Hyuuga fell onto his knees.

I rushed over to him, and noticed his heavy panting. "I'm carrying you back," I said, even though I was exhausted myself. I would be able to suffer through it.

"No."

"We are not going to argue about this, Neji. You seent your team away, it's just me and you now. You can barely stand. Please, it will only take us a few hours, even with you on my back. Please let me do this," I begged him, looking into his eyes.

"I don't want to risk you aggravating your condition."

"If I was so injured, do you think that Naruto would have given me permission to come after you? He's smarter than he lets on, I'm sure he knew how this would end. He knew that you would need me, and here I am. Now, let me carry you back."

I could see the struggle going on within his head, but he finally agreed to let me help him back to Konoha, as long as I wrapped my wound, of course. I quickly complied, wanting the bleeding to stop. I pulled out a bandage, and made sure that the entire arm was covered in the fabric.

Neji refused to let me carry him on my back, But he put an arm around my shoulder as we made our way back to Konoha.

At first, silence ensued. It seemed that Neji was taking a while to think on what had happened today. And I guess it would be a big deal, you know, realizing your dead teammate wasn't, well, dead. But the silence was making me uncomfortable.

"How did they do it?" he asked finally, breaking the silence about one hour into our journey.

"Do what?" I asked. "How did who do what?"

"How did Haruno and Hokage-sama fake your funeral?"

I let out a small chuckle. Sakura would be proud of herself. Even now, faced with the truth, Neji was still baffled at her handy work. "Actually, that was mostly Sakura and Shikamaru. Naruto had nothing to do with my death other than letting me come back to work as Kyaten, the Kirigakure ninja."

"So Nara knew that you were awake."

"He was one of the few that knew, yes," I said.

"You let him know before you let your teammates know?"

I sighed. Of course he would be upset! He didn't see through my illusion, and he probably hated himself for being fooled so easily. He thinks he should have realized that I, the girl who had so affected his life with my death, was actually alive. Then he wouldn't have had to feel guilty about my coma. "Shikamaru was my shadow when I wanted to go exploring, or my tour guide when I needed it. Hokage-sama assigned him to watch over me."

The talking was taking a lot more out of me that I was willing to admit. We still had two or three hours until we arrived into Konoha, and I was running out of energy. He had been right, the "head injury" was still having an effect on my body. Not to mention the loss of blood severely screwing me over.

"Why didn't you tell us, Tenten?"

"I told you already, Neji. I just… I didn't want to be babied. I wanted to see you for who you are, not who you were. I wanted to see that you had promoted to ANBU and Lee had his own team. I wanted to see that Hinata was married and that you were… engaged…" my voice trailed off as my mind returned to Juuri. "Anyway, I just wanted to find out for myself, not have things hidden from me."

His voice was quiet as he responded, "We wouldn't have hidden it from you, Tenten."

"Oh really?" I asked, quizzical. "You mean to tell me that you wouldn't pretend nothing had changed? Or, at least, not so drastically as it had?"

Neji averted his eyes, and that gave me all the conformation I needed. "Like I said, it would have been stupid of me to think that everything would have been the same, but that's how everyone would have treated me. Shikamaru just told me how it was. I didn't know him well at all before the coma, and I got to know him after the coma. He didn't have to pretend for me."

After that, silence reigned once more.

But after only thirty more minutes, I could feel the world spin right before my eyes. I was getting dizzy once more.

"Are you okay, Tenten?"

"Yes, Neji, I'm fine," I responded quickly. "Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you. It's about the Hyuuga clan."

He looked over at me, but I wasn't looking at him.

"Go ahead."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my body down, and continued to stare at the trees. "Are you really going to be head of the clan soon?"

"And how would you know about this fact, Tenten?" he asked.

"A little Hyuuga birdie told me," I responded with a smile. "Niiro is quite the cute little cousin of yours, Neji."

He smiled again. "Yes, she is. And yes, I am. If all goes, ah, according to plan."

"You mean getting married," I finished for him.

He nodded. "That would be the final condition, yes," he said. "But why are you asking me all of this if you already know the answer, Tenten?"

"Because," I reasoned. When he quirked a brow at me, I felt compelled to continue. "I want to know if you are actually happy with the engagement, Neji. Is that what you really want?"

"It is what is necessary to do what is expected of me."

"That didn't answer my question," I panted heavily.

"Then the answer is none of your concern."

We continued to power on through the forest, branch after branch flying under our feet. But, I noticed, we seemed to be going slower and slower, and finally, it got to a point where we were barely moving. Neji opened his mouth, but I didn't hear a word. All I knew was that I was falling toward the ground, and everything hurt so terribly.

"Kyaten!"

Shikamaru jumped out of the trees, and landed on the ground next to me. Seconds later, Neji was beside him. But Shikamaru wasn't paying attention to Neji, he was looking at me. "Are you okay?" he asked.

I tried to move my mouth to respond, but I couldn't get a word to come out. All I could do at this point was listen to the conversation going on above me.

"Why are you here?" Neji asked, looking at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru was still concentrated on me. He picked up the wounded arm, and looked at the bloody bandage. Ouch, that was deeper than I thought.

"What happened?" Shikamaru questioned Neji.

"She got in a fight with an S-Ranked criminal. All else is classified."

"Damn it, Neji, tell me what happened! She's passed out. The battle must have completely wiped her out of energy. Did you support her all the way here?"

"Yes."

Suddenly, I realized why Neji seemed so incredibly light, like he was barely putting pressure on me. It was because, even though I thought I was helping him, he was basically carrying me back to Konoha.

"We need to get her to the hospital, and quickly. I'll carry her, okay?"

"Wait, Nara. Why are you here?"

Shikamaru looked up, finally, and examined Neji. "Sakura sent me after she heard that Kyaten had gone after you. I guess you two are friends now, she must have been worried-"

"Or she's my old teammate, woken up from a coma, and fearing that I would try and exact revenge on the people who I thought had killed her."

My vision slowly went black, and my whole world was filled with the conversation going on between Neji and Shikamaru.

"Fine. Sakura and Naruto sent me after Tenten to make sure nothing like this happened, and if it did, there would be a fresh soldier to carry her back. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to carry her back. She needs to see Sakura, and soon."

"Okay. I'll trail after you."

I felt Shikamaru pick me up, and pull me close to him. "Hold on, Kyaten, I've got you. We'll be at the hospital soon."

I guess, at this point, Shikamaru and Neji began their trek back to Konoha. I could feel my body slowly falling asleep, and my mind going numb.

"_God, no, Tenten, Please be alright. Don't die. You can't die. Damnit, Lee, get over here!"_

Something inside of me was letting me feel what had gone on the last time I was like this. I could hear Neji and Lee voices echoing within my brain.

"_Neji, what have you done to her?"_

"_I just closed off the chakra to the rest of her body and let all of it go to her brain. This will keep the wound from any serious damage, and keep her from bleeding to death. I hope."_

"_We are going to have to get her back to Konohagakure very quickly, Neji."_

"_Let's go." _

I could tell this is where someone, one of my teammates, picked me up.

"_I have you, Tenten. Nothing is going to hurt you again. I will not let that happen. Just please, do __**not**__ die. Please live."_

As my brain finally shut itself down, I found myself wondering whose voice it was. For some reason, my memory seemed to cancel out the actual distinguishing factors, and just left me with the words.

Was it Lee?

Or was it Neji?

**A/N: Okay, so that's my sad attempt at writing my sister's story. Sorry that I'm terrible. You can probably tell which part of the chapter Nichole had written out before the accident… OH WELL! So, I will most likely be writing the next chapter. I hope you will bear with the two of us until she can start typing for more than two minutes at a time, and please don't give up on the story!**

**Review?**

**Thanks! – Rai and Nichole~**


	12. Memories

**Nichole's Note: Hi! Sorry for the wait! I got my cast off last week, and have been getting back into the groove of writing, haha. I know Rai said she would write this chapter, but she got busy with school and college searching and scholarship finding, so she couldn't complete it. So I just waited until the cast was off, and voila! We have a chapter!**

**Disclaimed: Do not own.**

**Read and review? Please?**

"_Tenten, I'm… I'm so sorry. I should have been there for you. I should have saved you."_

"_Please, Tenten! Wake up! I want you to be awake, please! It is so hard to try and pretend that everything is fine when it is not. It is not fine, at all."_

My mind was simmering in darkness. I couldn't tell where I was or how long I had been there. But I could hear voices. Voices that seemed to be from so long ago. Or maybe it was happening right now, right beside me. Could that be possible?

"_We're moving you to Konoha soon, Tenten. You should be fine… Lee and I have been staying in Suna while Konoha rebuilt the hospital. It's been a nice vacation, I guess. Gai-sensei went back a while ago. It's been such a long time since I've seen the village, and I wonder how it's changed. I am hoping that the medics in Konoha will be able to do more for you than the medics here have done, but I doubt it. No one seems to know what to do anymore."_

No. I don't think so. These are definitely voices from my memory.

"_Tenten, I can't stand this. Living without you… it's driving me insane. I didn't even realize how bad it would be until you were gone. I should have saved you! I should have seen the kunai, or made sure you were better protected. I failed my village. I failed my team. I failed… my friend. I wish you could hear this, Tenten. I wish you would wake up."_

He was sad. So sad. I don't want him to be sad anymore.

"_Hinata got engaged today. I just thought I'd tell you. She and Kiba had been dating for about… let's see, it's been a year now? Yeah. Two years since your accident. She really likes him. They look so happy together. She told me that she wished I could find that kind of happiness, and got pretty mad when I told her I didn't deserve it. She yelled at me quite a bit; I was surprised. She told me to stop waiting for you to wake up. She told me that I looked more dead than you do these days."_

"_Hello, Tenten-chan. I know you cannot hear me, but I just felt as though I should tell you: I was assigned a team today. They are all very good students. I am very happy to be teaching them. I also have as a student a newly interested weapons fighter. He is not quite on your level, but he will be there eventually." A sad chuckle followed. "I am surprised, actually, not to see Neji-kun here. I am guessing he has to go home every once in a while, as well. He cannot sleep here, after all. I am fortunate that the ever beautiful Sakura-chan has left me come in to talk to you. Konoha has changed a lot, Tenten-chan. I am certain you would never be able to recognize it in the current state. Everything is so different. But then, everything must change. Except you, however; you have stayed the same. I am sorry, Tenten-chan. I wish you did not have to go through this."_

They were all so pitiful. But the voice I heard the most was his. He felt so bad, like he caused my accident. I wanted to tell him he didn't, but the words never came out.

"_They are saying that we are finally fully recovered from Pein's attack. I don't think we are, though. The buildings are here, and the economy has returned, but the people we lost will never come back to us. I kept thinking about that day, recently. Pein did a horrible thing, by crushing the hospital. Maybe, if it had been there, you could have been healed in a timely manner. Then we wouldn't be having this problem. There would have been no problem whatsoever!"_

He was angry. Angry at Pein and angry at himself. I could tell.

"_Tsunade died today. She woke up after her coma, and she went for three years, but she eventually had to give it up to Naruto. He became Hokage about a month ago, I suppose. I can't remember the actual date, not that it affects me all too much. I have really just been in here, with you. But she died, and everyone is really upset about it. The funeral is soon… I have to be getting ready. I wish you could come with me. Not that you liked her all that much, anyway. I know you wanted to, but she just didn't value you like she did Sakura or Ino. I could tell you resented her for that. I do, too, sometimes. Resent her for making you so angry."_

This time it was a woman speaking.

"_Hey, there, Tenten! I see you are still in a coma. That's nice. Neji is having to attend a clan meeting today, something about Hinata. I don't know how well it will turn out. He seems so angry at everything these days. He's used to be so calm, but now, his anger will show through all the time. I guess it's his way of dealing, not that he can even do that well. For a genius, he sure seemed to fall apart without you. Poor guy. I don't know why I'm even doing this, talking to a coma patient never helps them. Well, it can, but it doesn't seem to help you. But I can definitely see the draw; you listen patiently to everything! Haha, I'm sorry. I'll be checking up on your vitals now…"_

She faded away.

"_Gai-sensei sends his greetings, Tenten. He hasn't come to see you much since you've been in here; I think it bothers him too much that he can't help you. So he just chooses to ignore the fact that you are here, helpless… Well, I'm not like that. I won't forget about you, Tenten, I promise. I hate myself for putting you in here, and I hate that you have to suffer! But Sakura says you aren't suffering at all in this state. I believe her… you always seem so peaceful."_

His voice had aged. It was deeper, more mature. It was still just as beautiful to me, just different.

"_I know how hard this must be for you, Neji. It's tough, I understand. But I can't allow you to stay in here any longer. I'm telling you… sitting here like this, it's not healthy! She might never wake up. You know that. So don't ruin your life by sitting here hoping! Please, Neji, I don't want to see you giving up like this!"_

"_It's my fault she's in a coma, Sakura! I could have saved her! I could have protected her! And yet she's here, paying for my mistakes. My stupid mistakes! I should be the one that's lying there, unable to move! It's not right!"_

"_And if Tenten were the one who had survived, would she sit here and mope without you?"_

Yes.

"_Would you want her to? I can answer that for you- No. You would want her to be living her life, and she wants the same for you!"_

_A very annoyed 'Hn' followed the statement. There was a loud crash of what sounded like a chair hitting the ground. _

"_Neji, if you do not leave here right this instant I will throw you out. Do you understand?"_

"_Try me."_

_A door opened._

_Another voice joined the fray._

"_Neji, listen to her. She's right! Look at all that Lee has accomplished! He wasn't held back for long. I know it's hard. But Neji, get over it. As your Hokage, I want you to come back to missions. I'm not gonna let you sit here anymore and grieve."_

"_Yes, Hokage-sama."_

"_And you are never, EVER, allowed to enter this room again without my permission, understand?" This voice was angry. "I don't want you to relapse. Right, Naruto?"_

"_Whatever you say, Sakura."_

Then, it went quiet for a while. The darkness returned. Why was it that it was so silent? Had everyone really given up on me?

"_H-hello, Tenten. I feel a little b-bit ridiculous doing this, but Neji insisted that I pass this message along. He was promoted to ANBU yesterday. There is no ceremony or anything, n-not that you could attend, of course. I don't know why I'm stuttering… T-talking to you must make me nervous. Even though you can't hear me. Anyway, he just wanted me to pass the message along. I told him I would, and it seemed to cheer him up slightly. I know you can't do a-anything about it, Tenten, but he seems so much colder without you. So much more… distant. He misses you a lot, and it pains him to know you are here. It pains me to know this, as well. I wish you would wake up, Tenten, for the sake of my cousin, myself, and Lee. Even Gai-sensei has felt the loss of such a dear pupil. Well, that's it. I'm s-sorry for burdening you. Goodbye."_

The darkness was aggravating. I didn't like it at all. It felt like it was spinning, but not moving at all. I wanted to reach out to these people, but they were just memories. Such sad memories.

"_She's in here, Neji. You can take as much time as you want to talk to her, I don't mind. It's Sakura's night off. If she comes in, I highly doubt she'll even bother checking Tenten. But if she does, I'll find a way to keep her detained and get the message to you. And no need to thank me, it's no trouble whatsoever. It's big news! You should share it!"_

_A door closed, and I could hear footsteps. Someone sitting in a chair. _

And then, the deep, beautiful voice I had heard before, only this time, so much more distant that I remember.

"_It's been a while, Tenten. Sakura kicked me out of here about a year and a half about. I guess she was doing the right thing at the time. Now, I agree with her. I shouldn't have spent so much time in here, hating myself. I did all I could for you, and I cannot change the past. I apologize for thinking I could. Not that it really matters anymore._

"_Anyway, I have been offered the position of head of my clan after my uncle relinquishes his position Normally, it would go to the first born of the main branch, but since Hinata-sama had been married, thye do not think it would be right to allow her to take over the position. Hanabi has also rejected the position, as she is not one for responsibility. He and Hinata-sama have been pushing for this ever since I came out of my depression. The elders thought that I would be too temperamental, and for a while, I agreed. I thought that I would be useless to anyone who depended on me, but I have since learned otherwise. But I began to work, and they began to see improvements. I told them I was fine. They believed me. I believe myself. _

"_The only condition would be that I must marry someone within my own clan. I agreed very readily. I do not like this stipulation at all, but I see no hope… otherwise. Her name is Juuri. We got engaged only a week ago. She is a good woman, albeit slightly spoiled. She is quite acceptable for the head of a clan, especially one as prestigious as the Hyuuga clan. She is what they wished Hinata-sama to be. Juuri is slightly older than Hinata-sama, and has been the daughter of a low main branch member. She is very pleased to be chosen as the wife of the head of the clan. _

"_At this point, I believe this is what I want. However, there are times… there are times when I think that I should like to continue to be a ninja, instead of giving it all up for a position that is not even rightfully mine. And sometimes I wish I could be given the freedom of choice back, the freedom that I had not realized I had as a branch member. The freedom to decide whether or not to be a ninja, or who I should take for my wife. But it is a sacrifice I must make, and I will do so willingly."_

_There was a brief pause, added with a sigh. _He was collecting his thoughts. He was shifting from factual to emotional, from formal to relaxed.

"_Hinata-sama is pregnant with Kiba's child. They do not know, yet, if it is a boy or a girl, but Hinata-sama is very excited. She radiates with joy. Kiba is also very proud. He is excited for their child. His whole family has taken her in quite nicely; she really has become one of them. But even the Hyuuga clan, namely her father and sister, are happily anticipating the child. Boy or girl, it will be a good kid. It has good parents. _

"_Lee is doing well with his genin. His last team passed the chuunin exam, all of them, either last year or the year before. I don't see Lee as often as I used to. He has, however, Juuri's sister on his team. She is a very good girl, Niiro-chan, and she will do well with Lee's training. Naruto is doing well as the Hokage; Konoha has entered into a time of peace that amazes us all. He has a way of convincing people to see things his way, and that has affected the other Kages as well. You would be proud of him and all that he has accomplished. Everyone else is._

"_I still miss you, though, Tenten. You were always a bright spot in my life. But I cannot continue to imagine that you will recover. I cannot keep pinning my hopes on a miracle. Ino said that you haven't changed at all since I saw you last. She was wrong, of course. You've changed a lot, since the day you were injured and since that day that I was forcibly removed. For starters, your hair is longer."_

_I could feel him pick up my hand. _

"_Your calluses have gone away. Your hands, with perfect nails and soft skin, have changed. But I know that somewhere, the girl I once knew is still there. As much as they try to deny it, I know that there is some brain function in you. Ino told me they know you are alive, but it is just you are sleeping." He laughed, and it filled me with a happiness I had forgotten. It wasn't a sarcastic, grim, or sad laugh. He sounded amused. _

"_You always were a heavy sleeper."_

_I felt him press his lips to my forehead, and that's when it began. A force jolted through me, and I began to feel again; it was the sensation of very slowly waking up. _

My eyes opened once more, and I looked around. It was a hospital room. I was in another hospital room. It was dark outside, and I could hardly make out any of the shapes, but I could tell it wasn't my old room. There was another bed in the room, bordered off by curtains.

My head pulsated with pain, and I groaned as I closed my eyes again. Miserable, miserable existence! As my vision turned black, the voices came back again.

"_No, Tenten, I refuse to lose you again! You are strong, you can survive this. Please, wake up."_

That one felt so much more recent than the last ones.

"_Please."_

"So, you're finally awake?"

Again, my eyes shot open, but this time, it was daylight outside. Sakura stood, smiling down at me. I wasn't aware that I had fallen back asleep last night, but I guess that it only made sense that I would. I looked at her, and groaned.

"I feel like crap, Sakura."

"You did over-extend yourself, you know that, right? I was surprised you didn't pass out for longer."

I tried sitting up, but failed miserably. I was beginning to think that lying here forever wouldn't be a bad idea. "How long was I out for?"

"About five or six day, so nothing bad, really. It had nothing to do with your previous condition, it was just that you severely overexerted yourself, and your wounds were pretty bad. You used up a lot more chakra but received less physical damage than Neji, though."

At the reminder of what had happened, my eyes shot open. "How is he? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine. After a day or two of rest and chakra healing, he was ready to go. But he was pretty concerned about you. Kept saying he couldn't lose you again. I'm going to assume that he knows you are Tenten, then?"

I nodded, still feeling the relief of knowing that Neji was okay.

"Well, everything checks out okay. You need a bit more rest, and I can give you a pill for the headache. Would you like anything else?"

"No, I'm okay."

She nodded, and left the room. Whoever the other person was- if there was anyone in that bed at all- they said nothing. I stared at the ceiling until Sakura came back, holding a pill and a glass of water. I swallowed the pill, and she left the remainder of the water on my bedside table.

She walked away, but I was staring in awe at the table. Besides the water, there was something else sitting on top of the wooden desk. It was beautiful, and my heart couldn't help but to race as I laid my eyes on it.

For on that table, there was only one other object.

A single, red rose.


End file.
